Adventures of the Templars 3: The Dark Is Rising
by Ashlyn Dubreas
Summary: Darkness is growing in the outer rim of the Galaxy. Will Ashlyn and her friends snuff the darkness out before it engulfs the Galaxy? Will Daly open up to his friends about his past? Join Ashlyn and her friends as they make new friendships, and strengthen current friendships while they race against time to track down these two mysterious Sith before their plans succeed.
1. Author Letter

_Dear Readers,_

 _This is the third instalment of my Adventures of the Templars series, "The Dark Is Rising". Please make sure to read the first two books before reading this one as it will not make much sense. The first book is entitled "The Founder's Beginning" and the second is entitled "The Deadly Crisis"._

 _I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters that were already created in the canon but I do own all the original characters._

 _Please read and enjoy the series, most importantly PLEASE review. I love to have feedback but please make sure it is constructive feedback._

 _Yours Sincerely,_  
 _Ashlyn Dubreas._


	2. Chapter 1-Revelation

**Chapter 1-Revelations**

The small shuttle landed on the landing pad in the capital city of Cato Neimoidia. A short time after a cloaked and hooded figure strode down the loading ramp. Two security guards walked up to the person and drew their blasters out to shoot if the visitor made a wrong move. The figure put their hand into the pocket of their robe and drew out some credits and placed it in the waiting hand of the guard.  
The guard chuckled as he pocketed the gold and put his blaster down while motioning for his partner to follow suit.  
"Where can I find Semper Haruuk?" the visitor inquired.  
The guard's eyes sparked with recognition, "He told us he was expecting someone, come this way," he said as he turned and walked off. They walked through the building until they reached an office in which the figure entered upon the door opening to find Semper Haruuk sitting behind his lavish desk.  
"Ahh, how nice it is to see you again my lord," he greeted after the door closed shut behind her and the person removed the hood to reveal her face.  
"I hope everything is going according to my father's plan Semper?" Jaira asked getting right to business, "I would hate to have to find someone to replace you," she added as she stroked the hilt of her new lightsaber.  
The Neimoidian looked nervously at the weapon before bowing low and then began to assure her that Cato Neimoidia would soon be under his control as well as the other planets their race controlled.  
"Very good," Jaira said, "Now we need to fulfil the final step of the plan."  
Jaira took out her communicator and pressed the button on it, "Have you got the shot Magnaro?" she asked.  
"Yes my lord," a voice responded.  
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Jaira demanded.  
A few moments of silence later, "He's fried, my lord."  
"Very good," Jaira said as she balled her fist as if she was choking someone and after a few moments she released it and casually rose to her feet.  
"Now it's time for you to move into your new office Semper and don't forget the deal we have," Jaira stated with a final warning.  
The fool bowed low and followed the Sith Lord out of the room as they went on their way to the very top level of the building.

* * *

Meanwhile on Coruscant, the Jedi Temple was beautiful at this time of year. The gardens were in full bloom as most of the Younglings and Padawans were doing their classes and study outside in the warm rays of the sun. While all the Knights and Masters were bustling about on the inside of the Temple with no time to sit around and enjoy the sunlight.  
Masters Yoda, Skywalker, Kenobi and Windu were walking through one of the many hallways talking about many things and upon coming to the topic they all had wished to discuss they stopped at one of the tall windows and looked out over the gardens.  
"Are you sure they are ready Master Yoda?" Mace asked in concern.  
"More than ready they are," Yoda responded, "Why doubt them, do you?"  
Master Windu went to respond but then was cut off by Skywalker.  
"Master, some of them are still learning. This operation is too big for them. Plus, besides Obi-wan and I can do it and be back in a matter of weeks," Anakin stated.  
"Afraid you are to lose your Padawan, lose her you will not," Yoda pointed out as he poked the young Jedi Master in the knee with his walking stick.  
As Yoda walked away he added, "Trust your Padawans you must and succeed they will."  
The three Jedi Masters watched the Jedi Grand Master walk away and then looked at each other before looking out the window to watch their students for a few moments.

* * *

Out in the gardens, the group of friends sat around in a circle on one of the few areas of grass the gardens of the Jedi Temple had. Most of them were meditating while the others were just lying back and enjoying the warmth of the air and the cool breezes. Daly had one of his arms wrapped around Ashlyn protectively as they lay next to each other. He was lightly dozing with his eyes closed while she was watching the clouds that were floating in the sky which was a rare sight on Coruscant.  
"It doesn't feel like we will be going on a mission soon," Ashlyn sighed.  
"Hmmm," Daly responded which caused Ashlyn to laugh softly as she looked up into his face and just watched him silently for a few moments.  
Daly cracked one of his eyes open when he sensed her looking at him, "What is it?" he inquired curiously with a lopsided grin on his face.  
Ashlyn giggled, "Nothing."  
Daly looked around and then spotted Master Yoda walking past them and then he frowned.  
"Why do you think none of the Masters have told us off for this?" Daly asked.  
"I don't know, maybe they know something we don't," Ashlyn suggested, "Or maybe they are waiting for our Masters to deal with us."  
"Well Master Yoda just walked past us and he didn't seem too phased," Daly pointed out.  
"When have you ever seen Master Yoda phased by something? Cause I haven't," Ashlyn inquired in an amused tone.  
"I know but wouldn't this usually lead to a lecture of some type."  
Ashlyn shrugged and then she sensed her Master nearby and shot up straight in a sitting position.  
"I have to go," Ashlyn announced, "I'll see you guys all inside," she farewelled everyone as she walked towards her Master's location.  
Daly frowned at the sudden departure and made eye contact with Raven who grinned and shook his head in laughing fashion.

* * *

"Master?" Ashlyn asked as she approached her Master who was standing just inside the doors of the Jedi Temple.  
"Ash, we need to talk," Anakin said as he turned and started to walk briskly in the direction of the West Hangar. Upon arriving at their destination the Master and Padawan jumped into a speeder and her Master took off into the Coruscanti traffic.  
"Ash, you need to understand that upholding the Jedi Code is important. It enables a Jedi to remain true to the Order's values and teachings," Anakin stated in a firm tone.  
"Yes Master," Ashlyn responded, sensing where this conversation was going.  
"That is why we are forbidden to love and have attachments-," Anakin paused and Ashlyn thought she was about to get a scolding but instead got the complete opposite.  
"However some of us are able to do our duty as Jedi Knights while having love and attachment, it is not impossible to accomplish. Difficult, yes but impossible, no."  
It was silent for a few minutes as Ashlyn thought these words over in her head very carefully before responding.  
"Master, are you trying to tell me that Daly and I can-," she started but was interrupted by the older man.  
"Ash, you and Daly need to trust yourselves to make that decision," Anakin said, "Of course for it to get anywhere with success you would need permission from the Council but I'm giving you a word of warning. The Council is aware of the growing relationship between the pair of you, but Master Yoda is refusing to allow us to stop you both from going down your current path. He wants you and Daly to come forward in your own time which is extremely unlike him," he explained.  
"Should we do it soon or?" Ashlyn asked, trailing off into silence.  
"I believe the two of you should wait until you are both knighted at the very least, that way the Council is less likely to say no," Anakin said as he landed on a landing platform and Ashlyn looked around.  
They had arrived at Senator Amidala's apartment and Ashlyn frowned slightly as realization finally hit her.  
"Are you serious?" she demanded.  
Anakin chuckled, "Padme and I have been married in secret since the beginning of the Clone Wars. I told the Council after Chancellor Palpatine was arrested and they accepted it," he revealed.  
Then her Master gave her another piece of advice, "Ash, in order for the Council to approve of your relationship with Daly both of you have to prove that neither of you will let the attachment come before duty," Anakin advised, "Without that, there is no way they will approve unless because of a prophecy or a vision of some sort."  
Ashlyn thought silently for a moment about whether she should tell her Master about the vision she had seen a year ago but then decided not to say anything.  
"Now would you like to have lunch with Padme and I or do you want me to drop you back off at the Temple?" Anakin offered.  
"Sure why not."  
The two of them jumped out of the speeder and entered the apartment to be greeted by C3-P0 who went to inform the Senator of their arrival.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Please review to let me know your thoughts and what you think so far._

 _Ashlyn Dubreas._


	3. Chapter 2-New Arrivals

**Chapter 2-New Arrivals**

Ashlyn and Daly were sparring in one of the many training halls of the Jedi Temple while the others were all scattered around the hall in pairs doing the same. Both of them had beads of sweat running down their faces and were working hard to best the other in unarmed combat. Ashlyn had learned that while Daly used the same sort of techniques and moves as Raven he was far more agile and very fast in counter-attacks. All of a sudden, the doors to the hall opened which sparked the attention of all the Padawans as this particular training hall was out of bounds to all the other occupants of the Temple so that the group could focus on their training. In walked a large group of people including their Masters as well as several other people whom they had never met before. In the lead were Anakin Skywalker and another man who was about the same age; the two men were bickering so bad that it was obvious that they had never gotten along.  
"You two enough please before you give us all headaches," Obi-wan almost begged as he rubbed his forehead and then turned to the group of students, "Padawans, gather over here!"  
The group joined the newcomers with curiosity as to what was going on and then that is when Master Kenobi began to speak.  
"I think introductions are in order, it will have to be quick for the time being," Obi-wan said, "Ashlyn, Daly, Raven, Morenci, Gavaro, Jania and Aurick. These are the Padawans that will be joining you all on this mission. We have Serin, David, Bramax and Ancor," Obi-wan listed names in order of person as he then went on to introduce the one Master who in fact turned out to be Ferus Olin.  
Then Obi-wan said something that hit a nerve, "Serin will be leading the mission."  
Raven frowned slightly and didn't like the idea of someone he did not know leading the mission that was given to them.  
"Ashlyn will be second in command, however, every decision must go through us," Anakin announced.  
It was silent for a few moments and the Masters all decided they would leave the group to try and get to know each other better on their own. Ashlyn was the first to talk which was of no surprise to any of her friends.  
"Welcome to the team you guys," she greeted as she stepped forward and bowed slightly, "It will be a pleasure working with you."  
Serin snorted, "I work alone," he stated as he walked around the group and sat down on one of the benches.  
Ashlyn rolled her eyes and so turned her attention to the other three newcomers.  
David chuckled heartily, "Don't mind Serin, he's been a snob ever since he arrived at the Temple on Duron," he said as he glared at the Padawan.  
David had light brown hair that was up in the traditional Padawan haircut and brown eyes while Bramax had blonde hair and dark blue eyes but his hair was cut short with his Padawan braid coming down from behind his right ear. Ancor had light brown hair that was short except for his Padawan braid that hung from behind his right ear and sharp blue eyes.  
"We look forward to working with you," Bramax said, "I haven't been here since I was six years old, so it's nice to be back. My Master is Aayla Secura, she selected me a few days ago so I'm kind of new to this whole Padawan thing."  
"Whose Serin's Master?" Raven inquired.  
"Well if you didn't already guess his Master is Ferus Olin," Ancor said in a scoffing sort of fashion.  
"Who is your Master, David?" Daly asked.  
"Master Luminara Unduli, I'm in the same boat as Bramax and Ancor we got selected on the same day," David answered.  
"How about you Ancor?" Jania inquired.  
"My Master is Master Shaak Ti," Ancor responded  
Ashlyn turned to see Serin watching them silently but when he spotted her looking at him he turned away as if he hadn't been watching the group. The girl walked over to him slowly and when she reached the bench that he was sitting on she noticed he was dual wielder like her.  
"You know you're not making it any easier on yourself?" Ashlyn pointed out before sitting down on a nearby bench, "So you're a dual wielder as well?" Ashlyn asked as she tried to spark up a conversation.  
Serin frowned slightly and then noticed the two weapons attached to the other Padawans belt before looking up at her. He had dark brown hair that was so dark in colour that it was almost black which was up in the traditional Padawan Haircut and hard grey eyes that were as smooth as steel.  
"How old are you?" Serin inquired.  
"I turn 15 in a month," Ashlyn responded, "How about you?"  
"I turn 17 in seven months," Serin answered, "You're a little young to be learning dual wielding, aren't you?"  
"Well you've got that right," Ashlyn said, "I started training last year."  
Serin's eyes widened in amazement.  
Ashlyn got up off the bench and started to walk back over to the group, halfway she stopped and turned back to face the older boy.  
"You coming?" Ashlyn inquired but Serin just shook his head and turned away.  
Ashlyn sighed and continued over to the group, she knew that the only way for Serin to become part of their group would be for him to socialise with them.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Let me know what you think, especially of the new Padawans._

 _Ashlyn Dubreas._


	4. Chapter 3-Bonds Made

**Chapter 3-Bonds Made**

Inoma, Eric and Stones were sitting around in the Hangar when the Padawans came in with the newcomers.  
"Here comes trouble," Eric muttered sarcastically.  
Inoma chuckled lightly as the group approached them.  
"Hey Inoma, what's up?" Jania greeted.  
"Nothing much just catching up with Eric, we haven't really had time to do that for the past several years," Inoma responded, "I see you guys made some new friends."  
David, Bramax and Ancor waved at her as Jania went on to introduce the three boys to Inoma, Eric and Stones. While Serin completely ignored them wishing he was anywhere but there at the moment but his Master had told him to spend time with the rest of the team.  
"Nice to meet you boys," Inoma greeted warmly as the group joined them to listen to the stories that Inoma and Eric were telling them. These stories were of adventure in the Galaxy beyond the Jedi Temple and Coruscant. These stories even began to impress Serin as he went from not being interested in a Smugglers' dealings throughout the Galaxy to hanging onto every single word. He had always wanted a life full of adventure and had been disappointed when he joined the Jedi Order to find it to be the complete opposite to what he expected. As the minutes ticked by Serin began to relax slightly and he felt as if he had known all of these people for years. That, however, did not last long as he reminded himself that he did not really know any of these people.

* * *

Everyone walked back and forth carrying crates into the Wolf Star-Runner which held supplies and equipment for the mission that the large group was about to depart upon.  
"I assure you, Eric, that the Order will pay you and your friends for assisting in this mission," Obi-wan reassured the Smuggler of payment for his troubles.  
"Will there be any other ships?" Eric inquired.  
"Yes, there will be two star cruisers with us at all times fully armed with soldiers and navy crew," Anakin answered as the group of adults walked over to three large battalions of Clone Troopers that had volunteered to assist in the operation.  
"Attention!" a voice called over the noise which caused the three battalions of Clones to stand at attention and call out in unison, "Sir, yes Sir!"  
The man turned to face them and saluted, "It's nice to see you again General Skywalker, General Kenobi," he greeted in favour.  
"As am I Rex," Anakin said and nodded his head for the Captain to continue.  
"Alright, men! Battalion Blue you will be on the Scoundrels Constellation, Battalion Yellow you will be on the Fork Gavin and Battalion Green you will be on the Derek Star! Move out!" Rex called the orders out loud and clear for all to hear. The Clones saluted and then marched toward their designated ships.  
"We're ready when you are Generals," Rex said and then followed the Blue Battalion to their destination.  
"I sure hope the Padawans are ready for this," Obi-wan said.  
"Don't worry Master, everything will turn out just fine," Anakin said as they turned to find the group of students coming toward them.  
"Daly!" Obi-wan called his Padawan over who turned and followed his Master to one of the Star Cruisers.  
Stret walked over to his Master who was standing a little way away and then they headed for the Star Cruisers.  
"Padawans, over here please!" Anakin called them all over to him.  
Upon the group reaching him, he was bombarded with questions from all directions.  
"Where are they going Master?"  
"Where are we meant to go?"  
"Okay calm down all of you," Anakin said, "Serin and Raven, you two are with me on Scoundrels Constellation. Treb, Gav and Bramax are going with Master Windu. Jania, David and Ancor are going with Master Kenobi."  
The Padawans all looked at each other briefly and then went off in their separate groups while Ashlyn, Raven and Serin followed Master Skywalker to the Scoundrels Constellation.  
"So why are the Clones back Master?" Ashlyn asked in curiosity.  
"Master Yoda sent out the messages to any Clones who wanted to volunteer to come and help us with this mission to contact him back," Anakin explained, "And they responded."  
"I didn't realise that this would be that difficult," Raven piped up.  
The Jedi Master sighed heavily, "I'm afraid that this will be much harder than that, Sith are extremely hard to track down and just as harder to kill or capture," he said truthfully as he did not want to lie to the Padawans into believing that this mission would be simple.  
When they boarded the ship they found Masters Vos and Olin already there waiting for them; which caused Anakin to groan heavily as he thought to himself how he had managed to get stuck with Ferus of all people.  
However, he decided to ignore his long-term rival and focused on helping Eric take off into the atmosphere of Coruscant. As soon as they were about to jump into Hyperspace he stood up and walked off the bridge with his Padawan right behind.  
"Where are we going, Master?" Ashlyn asked as they entered the communications room.  
"We are getting off at the first stop and need to get ready," Anakin said as he entered a code into the holoterminal to contact someone.  
"Yes, Anakin?" Obi-wan answered as the holoimage of the older Jedi Master appeared.  
"Does Daly think he will be able to find the camp again?" Anakin asked.  
"I'm not so sure Master Skywalker but if we find where my Master and I camped I should be able to find the camp again," Daly said as he appeared in the holoimage as well.  
Ashlyn and Daly exchanged smiles and greeted each other through their bond but were brought back to the real world when Master Kenobi asked him something.  
Daly shook his head slightly to clear it as he turned to his Master and asked for him to repeat the question. Obi-wan quirked his eyebrow at his Padawan but then shrugged his shoulders and repeated the question.  
"Are you sure you did not come across anyone Daly?" Obi-wan asked, "I see it as highly unlikely that a Sith would leave their lightsaber in a camp while out for a stroll," he added, trying to gently prompt his Padawan to answer truthfully.  
Daly's jaw stiffened as he gulped nervously, "I'm sure Master."  
Obi-wan and Anakin saw the boy's body language but decided to ignore it for the meantime as there were more pressing matters to discuss. Ashlyn sent calming waves through the Force to Daly and he slowly began to relax once again.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Please review, hope you have enjoyed it so far._

 _Ashlyn Dubreas_


	5. Chapter 4-Investigation

**Investigation**

Meanwhile across the Galaxy, Jaira stood behind Semper Haruuk as he made the announcement to the Trade Federation that he was now their leader and that they would be working for someone new as well as the Republic. The Sith Apprentice wanted more than anything to have left straight away but it had been crucial to her father's plan for her to stay and ensure that Semper succeeded. The Neimoidian selected three diplomats he trusted to represent them in the Republic Senate as well as another three to represent them in the new Empire that Jaira's father wished to rebuild. Naturally, a lot of Neimoidians were not happy with this and when those few stood up to protest Jaira casually Force choked them to death before they were even finished with what they had to say. The others present quickly caught on to the fact that if they wanted to stay alive they had to cooperate with their new leader. After Semper mentioned how much profit they would be getting from this arrangement however they all calmed down and accepted it without any other thoughts.  
Jaira sneered and thought to herself how gullible and stupid the race was when it came to more credits. She knew of course that if her father's plans succeeded then there would be no Republic and like all other alien races, these people would be put into slavery.  
Jaira had other ideas as to how to deal with the Jedi and Republic though but her father wouldn't hear of it. He always claimed that the Republic and Jedi needed to be wiped out completely for their Empire to last for any given amount of time. After the speech, Jaira had a group of Bounty Hunters by the name of the Death Watch become Semper Haruuk's special bodyguards. The Mandalorian Extremists believed that their planet and people should return to their former reputation as warriors. Her father had promised them their planet back in their hands upon creating his Sith Empire. After Jaira had organised the group she left the planet hoping not to return in a long time to do her father's dirty work even though she had a feeling she would have to anyway.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Mid Rim on Katarr.  
"Are you sure we are in the right place?" Ashlyn asked incredulously.  
"Yes Ash, as you can see we had an interesting time while you were sick," Obi-wan joked, "This was where Daly and I made camp."  
Ashlyn turned to Daly, "How long did you stay here?" she inquired in worry.  
"About 3 weeks," Daly responded and then reassured her that nothing bad had happened.  
All four of them were in protective suits to keep them safe from the toxic atmosphere as they started to set up their camp again.  
"I sure hope the others have found something to keep themselves occupied," Ashlyn said to no one in particular.  
"They are building their lightsabers if I remember correctly," Anakin mentioned.  
Ashlyn was amazed, "Really? That's so cool."  
"Well Raven, Gav and Treb are. Jania doesn't want to build one until she decides what combat style she wants to use," Daly mentioned.  
"What about you?" Ashlyn inquired curiously.  
"Me? I'm still undecided," Daly answered.  
The four people stood up straight and then went for a walk around to look for the encampment that Daly had stumbled on.  
"Over here!" Daly called out from up ahead about an hour after their search had begun and as the others got closer they saw the camp.  
Anakin and Obi-wan walked into the camp carefully while trying not to be detected in case the inhabitants were still there but after finding where the ship had been the two Jedi Masters relaxed. Anakin turned and waved for their Padawans to join them before turning back to Obi-wan with one question in mind.  
"How long ago do you think they left?" Anakin asked his former Master.  
"It can't have been any more than a month ago, look there are still footprints in the soil," Obi-wan said as he crouched over the set of boot prints. He then stood back up and turned to his Padawan.  
"Are you sure there was no one here Daly?" Obi-wan inquired in concern.  
"Yes Master," Daly answered with a slightly wavered voice.  
Obi-wan caught onto the sense that his student wasn't telling the truth and his brow frowned.  
"Daly, is there something you need to tell us?" Anakin asked, folding his arms across his chest.  
Ashlyn looked at Daly in concern.  
Daly sighed, "I didn't find the lightsaber in the camp, I duelled one of the Sith. I'm pretty sure it was the Apprentice because I managed to knock her out and then I took her lightsaber. On the way back to the camp I found this place," he told half the truth as he wasn't ready to reveal that he knew who the Sith were, let alone that he was related to them.  
Anakin and Obi-wan did not look very impressed by Daly trying to keep this information hidden as it was crucial to have told the Council when he had been giving the report.  
"Daly, why did you not tell us this before?" Obi-wan inquired, horrified at the thought of his Padawan fighting a Sith and that he had kept the information to himself.  
"Because I knew that if I told you then we would have left earlier and Ash would probably be dead right now," Daly responded dejectedly.  
"Padawan, you could have gotten us killed not to mention yourself," Obi-wan scolded, "Regardless of whether this was the Apprentice or not, it was still reckless and dangerous."  
"Yes Master, I'm sorry," Daly apologised to his boots.  
"Is there anything else we should know?" Obi-wan requested, hoping that his Padawan would own up now before anything bad could happen.  
Daly shook his head while hoping his Master wouldn't push the issue and would leave it at that.  
"Alright then we better get what we came here for and head off," Anakin said as he strode over to a pile of crates and started to take holographic images of the camp.  
The others followed his lead and started to gather evidence of the presence of the two Sith that had very obviously been here.  
The two Jedi Masters pocketed any dark artefacts they had found amongst the camps objects.  
"They must have been sure no one would find the camp or they were planning to come back for the rest of this stuff," Obi-wan mentioned to Anakin as they headed back to their encampment.  
"Or they left in a hurry?" Anakin pointed out a possibility.  
"Maybe."

* * *

Later that day, Ashlyn and Daly were back in the small passenger hold of the Wolf Star-Runner as their Masters piloted the ship back up to the fleet.  
"Why did you not tell Obi-wan, Daly?" Ashlyn asked after a long silence, "What's the real reason?"  
"What do you mean?" Daly bit back defensively.  
Ashlyn put her hand over his which caused him to look up at her, "Don't be like this, please? I've been nothing but honest and truthful with you but I can tell something is bothering you, Daly," she said in concern, "Please?" she pleaded.  
Daly stood up and walked away from her as he raked his hand through his hair in frustration and then turned back to face her.  
After a few moments of silence, he answered her question, "I can't."  
Ashlyn stood up and walked up to him, "Believe me, Daly, I know what it feels like but the longer you keep this secret the more it is going to eat away at you from the inside out," she advised.  
"I know," Daly admitted, "I'm just not ready," he added as he then stalked off the small ship as he sensed it touching down in the Hangar of the Starship.  
Obi-wan and Anakin came out of the small cockpit and saw the last few seconds of the exchange between their two Padawans. Anakin hung back while Obi-wan followed his student off the ship.  
"What's going on, Ash?" Anakin asked as she sat back down in her seat and put her head in her hands.  
"Nothing," Ashlyn sighed in defeat.  
"Do you think Daly is hiding something else?" Anakin inquired curiously.  
"I don't think, I know," Ashlyn stated confidently in an irritated tone.  
Anakin took the seat next to her and sighed, "Well maybe you should let him come to you when he is ready. Just let him know that you are there for him when he is ready to tell someone."  
Ashlyn smiled up at her Master and then thanked him.  
Anakin chuckled and muttered, "Young love."  
They both got up from their seats, laughing heartily with each other and headed into the cockpit to get back to the Scoundrels Constellation. Upon arriving in the cockpit, Anakin began a holocall with the two Republic Starships that were stationed on either side of them. After a few moments the holoimages of the others all appeared and when she looked over at Raven, Ashlyn could see that he had completed the construction of his lightsaber which was now attached to his belt.  
Raven nodded his head curtly and Ashlyn nodded back with a smile as they had more concerning matters to discuss at hand.  
Ashlyn could see Daly, Obi-wan, Mace Windu, Jania, Bramax, Ancor and David while Treb, Stret and Gav were nowhere to be seen.  
"They will be here shortly," Master Windu stated clearly, "How did the investigation below go?"  
Obi-wan and Anakin then went on to inform Master Windu of everything they had found on the planet and by the time they were finished the missing Padawans had joined them.  
"Sorry about that everyone, building a lightsaber isn't as easy as Raven makes it out to be," Stret apologised with a slight joke at the end.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Sorry about how long it took to post the rest of Book 3. I've been trying to fix up and edit Books 1 and 2 so that there are fewer mistakes while on top of that I have had Uni and been writing the rest of the series. I'm technically up to Book 9._

 _Ashlyn Dubreas._


	6. Chapter 5-Cousins

**Cousins**

Three days later, Jaira walked down the loading ramp of her shuttle, onto the landing pad and as she got closer to the doors they opened to reveal her cousin. Jaira longed for the older girl to come with her on all the missions her father sent her out on but he had refused multiple times.  
"Riesha, how are you?" Jaira asked once they were standing right in front of each other.  
"I am well, how was your trip Jaira?" Riesha asked.  
"Boring as hell, it's amazing how anyone would believe my father that they will remain free," Jaira scowled, "Daydreaming fools."  
"I certainly hope you have time to squeeze in a few minutes of working with me on my lightsaber training before you go again," Riesha pointed out in a low voice so as not to be overheard.  
"Same."  
Jaira had been secretly training her in the Dark side of the Force since she was ten years old and Riesha had almost turned sixteen. It is not every day the Master was younger than the Apprentice. Riesha had black hair that went to the middle of her back and her eyes were a dark green. Her face had a few bruises that stood out against her pallid expression from the regular beatings she received at the hands of her Uncle.  
"I sense that Father won't live for much longer though," Jaira reassured her cousin, "I don't think he wants to admit it but I believe he has sensed his impending doom fastly approaching."  
"I have sensed it too, the Jedi have begun their hunt for us," Riesha said.  
"Yes and no doubt my brother is with them," Jaira growled under her breath as she thought of how vulnerable they were as long as they stayed here.  
"Surely Daly would think we wouldn't come back here," Riesha piped out in concern.  
"That is what Father thinks but he forgets that Daly is just as strong in the Force as me," Jaira said, "I found somewhere for you to go if you sense any danger for yourself."  
"Oh, and where would that be?"  
"There is an abandoned factory nearby. At any sign of danger head there straight away," Jaira said importantly, "Anyways we better not keep my Father waiting."

* * *

The next day on the Scoundrels Constellation, Serin was meditating in one of the small private rooms with Ashlyn and Raven sitting across from him. One by one an object from the camp was placed in front of him so that he could find any remnants of the owner's signature on the surface. Serin had high tracking skills which he achieved through the Force but he didn't get a solid hit until he came to the lightsaber. At that moment, he came out of his trance with an eager smile on his face.  
"We have him," Serin said as they stood up and walked out of the room to be greeted by Master Skywalker.  
Serin ignored the Jedi Master and walked straight to the holoterminal and began to call the others who had been waiting for the past hour for their orders.  
"Okay, I have all the planets the Sith has been to. Is everyone ready to go to the assigned destinations?"  
The others all nodded.  
"Ashlyn and Jania, you two will be going to Mandalore-," he started but was interrupted.  
"Umm Serin we already have our pairings," Ashlyn said as she turned to her Master to confirm that, "And wouldn't it be smarter to send Bramax and David there."  
Serin glared at the prospect of being told what to do especially by someone younger than he was.  
"No, I don't think that would be better," Serin growled, "And I am the one in charge of this mission."  
Raven frowned, "In case you haven't realised this about us, we work as a team, there are no bosses in our group," he stated firmly, dislike coming off him in waves.  
"Yes but the Jedi Council put me in charge," Serin stated the fact very clearly through gritted teeth.  
"Enough!" Master Skywalker said as he projected his voice to call an end to the squabbling, "Serin, you need to discuss the plan with the others and see what they each think about it. If you believe that the pairings which the Council made are wrong then you need to talk to them about it. Not boss them around," he said very firmly.  
Serin glared at the Jedi Master and then continued along the path that he had been on before which caused all the other Padawans to begrudgingly follow his orders.  
"Each pair will have twenty Clones with them," Serin finished with and the holocall ended.  
Anakin shook his head in disappointment, not impressed in the way Serin had handled the situation. Jania and Ashlyn were going to Mandalore, Gav and Treb were going to Geonosis, Raven and Bramax were going to Nar Shaddaa, Daly and David were going to Cato Neimoidia, Serin and Ancor were going to Quesh while Stret remained with the fleet as per ordered by the Council.  
"Serin, you should have sent Raven and Daly to Nar Shaddaa it has the strongest presence of this person," Ashlyn said, "But yet you sent a brand new Padawan with Raven."  
"I don't have to explain myself to you," Serin growled before stalking off.  
"Ash, isn't there something you can do? I mean you are second in command," Raven almost begged her.  
Ashlyn sighed and then came up with an idea, "Actually there is something I can do," she said.  
"Good cause Bramax is probably hyperventilating at the moment," Raven pointed out.  
"If you find any concrete evidence that the Sith are on Nar Shaddaa, contact me and then I will organise for Daly and Bramax to swap," Ashlyn said, "Then you two will be able to continue the investigation from there but don't attack the Sith until the rest of us arrive on the planet," she added for extra measure.  
"You really think that this is the right planet, don't you?" Raven inquired in amazement.  
"Yes I do, take Eric or Inoma with you too," Ashlyn said.  
Raven nodded and then as he strode off he thanked her through the Force, obviously feeling more confident now than before. Ashlyn just hoped that Serin wouldn't find out about the swap as it seemed that he was certain of his plan and didn't want anyone messing with it. Raven went looking immediately for Inoma as he sensed that Eric would not want to leave his ship and it didn't take long to find her.  
"Hey Inoma, Ash wants you to come with us to Nar Shaddaa," Raven said.  
"Okay, umm, yeah sure no problem," she stuttered at first but then smoothed her words out.  
Raven looked at her in worry, "Are you okay?" he asked.  
"Yes I'm perfectly fine, it's just Serin came down here and told me I was to stay with the ships," she responded unsurely.  
"Don't worry about what Serin says," Raven snarled and then turned to head to the sleeping quarters to get some rest before they headed off.  
He found Ashlyn in there with her Master who was obviously just about to leave.  
"Don't worry about it, Tiger. If he finds out, tell him I told you to do it and everything will be all good," Anakin said as he left the room.  
Raven entered and sat next to her, "Why does he call you Tiger?" he asked curiously.  
Ashlyn smiled and then went on to explain it, "He doesn't call me it much anymore but he used to do it a lot when I was a Youngling," she answered, "It's kind of a nickname."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please Review!_

 _Ashlyn Dubreas._


	7. Chapter 6-Mandalore

**Mandalore**

After two days in Hyperspace, Ashlyn and Jania came out of the shuttle as they looked around the landing pad in curiosity until they spotted Duchess Satine and her guards approaching them. The two Padawans met the Duchess at the halfway point and then bowed in greeting.  
"It's nice to see you Padawans," Satine greeted, "What is the reasons for your visit to Mandalore?"  
"We are tracking a Sith around the Galaxy and have followed the trace here my lady," Ashlyn answered her question, "Master Kenobi sends his regards," she added.  
Ashlyn hoped that by mentioning Obi-wan it would help the Duchess relax and be more willing to help their investigation.  
"So, you are Obi-wan's new Padawan? Except I thought his new Padawan was a boy," Satine said curiously.  
Ashlyn blushed, "No, my lady. I am Master Skywalker's Padawan, our friend Daly is searching another planet for the Sith and he is the Padawan of Master Kenobi," she corrected the Duchess.  
Satine nodded and then motioned for the two girls to follow her to the awaiting transport behind her. The trip to the Palace took only minutes and then when the transport landed, Satine turned to the two Padawans.  
"Make yourselves comfortable and I will make sure you are both assisted in your investigation while you are here," Satine said as she led them through the gardens and into the Palace, "You can stay in our guest quarters."  
"Thank you my lady," Jania thanked the Duchess who then dismissed herself from the room.  
"I haven't been in a room this lavish since I left home," Jania said.  
Ashlyn sighed, "Yeah, it reminds me of the rooms in the Palace of Naboo."  
"I wonder how the boys are all doing," Jania thought out loud.  
Ashlyn giggled before picking up a pillow and swinging it at Jania who ducked out of the way just in time. Jania then began laughing at Ashlyn who had tripped over the rug with the toe of her boot from losing her balance after missing her target. Ashlyn glared at her for a moment and then started laughing along with her friend as she stood back up and deposited the pillow back onto the bed.

* * *

Late that night, Jania and Ashlyn stalked along the landing platform in the shadows when all of a sudden there was a loud clang as if something metal had been dropped.  
"Be quiet you idiot!" a voice exclaimed as quietly as it could.  
Ashlyn and Jania paused for a moment, looked at each other and nodded before climbing the wall up onto the roof. They crept along the roof in a low crouch until they got to the edge and peered over just enough to see but still remain hidden. The two men below were talking hurriedly in hushed whispers as they continued to carry their load into the warehouse. Ashlyn recognised their armour from somewhere but couldn't quite pinpoint where she had seen it before. Jania reached into one of the pouches on her belt for her holographic recorder so that she could record the two men as they walked away. Then the Padawan pointed at the ship that obviously belonged to the two men. Ashlyn got the message and reached into a pouch on her belt for a tracking device. Then after pressing the button on the tracking device, she threw the object at the ship and used the Force to make sure the device attached to the hull properly. After completing the task they watched the ship fly off before they dropped down to the ground. The two Padawans turned to face the door and then at the same time used the Force to open it without setting off the alarm. Inside the warehouse they found it to be filled with thousands of barrels and crates. Upon closer inspection, they found weapons, bombs and lightsabers. Ashlyn and Jania were shocked beyond belief as Ashlyn picked up one of the many hilts and pressed the activation button to find a red blade. Jania gulped and then proceeded to take pictures of the contents as well as the warehouse number so they could find it again. Then they left after making sure that it looked the same as before so that the people who were behind this would never know that anyone else had been in the building.

* * *

The next morning, Ashlyn and Jania had decided to contact the fleet with an update on their findings.  
Ashlyn groaned, "Master, I am telling the truth," she pushed.  
"It is true Master Skywalker and we have proof of what we found," Jania backed her up and then proceeded to transmit holoimages and recordings to the Jedi Master.  
"This makes no sense. Why would these Sith have crates upon crates of lightsabers?" Anakin said in bewilderment and then he paused in shock.  
"Master?" Ashlyn asked in concern.  
"Ashlyn, I want you both back here now," Anakin ordered firmly.  
"What? Why?" the Padawans demanded incredulously.  
"Because these two men are a part of Death Watch and they are trained to kill Jedi," Anakin revealed, "I want you both back here now."  
Ashlyn sighed in defeat, "Okay, we're on our way."  
The call ended and the two Padawans fell onto their beds.  
"We have only been here three weeks Ash," Jania said, "We should do more research into these Death Watch people before we go."  
"I know but try to telling that to my Master," Ashlyn pointed out.  
"Yes but we don't have to, it will take us three days to get back to the fleet," Jania said.  
Ashlyn smiled as she realised where her friend was going, "Not bad Jania, not bad at all."

* * *

Around noon later that day, Ashlyn and Jania walked up to Duchess Satine and bowed in greeting to the leader of Mandalore.  
"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about girls?" Satine asked gracefully.  
"My lady, we found a warehouse that the Death Watch have been using to store weapons on Mandalore," Ashlyn informed her.  
"What?" she asked in shock, "The Death Watch dissipated after Tor Vizsla was killed," she said.  
"Yes but we believe they have reformed and are planning to retake Mandalore and we believe they are in league with the Sith that we trying to hunt down," Jania said.  
"My Master has requested us to return to the fleet so if there is nothing else, my lady, we will leave," Ashlyn said.  
"Very well girls, thank you for visiting Mandalore and give Masters Kenobi and Skywalker my regards," she farewelled them.  
The two Padawans bowed and then left the Palace to head back to their ship which was waiting for them on the landing platform.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter._

 _Ashlyn Dubreas._


	8. Chapter 7-Cato Neimoidia

**Cato Nemoidia**

Meanwhile, Daly was piloting the shuttle that he and David had been given to go to Cato Neimoidia. The only piece of intel they had to go by was that within the last few weeks the leader of the Trade Federation was assassinated and it was now under the charge of someone by the name of Semper Haruuk.  
"Do you think we will find anything?" David asked.  
"With the intel we have I'm sure that we will definitely find a lot of things," Daly responded as the shuttle came out of Hyperspace.  
They got cleared for landing and then proceeded cautiously down to the planet surface below, landing on the designated platform.  
"Keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious," Daly said as they walked down the loading platform and a group of guards approached them.  
Upon the two groups meeting Daly and David bowed in greeting.  
"What may we do for you Master Jedi?" one of the guards asked.  
"We have come to seek an audience with Semper Haruuk if you please," Daly said, "He should be expecting us."  
"Of course but you must leave your soldiers here," the other guard responded, "As you would be aware of the assassination of our previous leader has caused security to become even more tight and strict."  
"Of course but would I please be able to bring one of them with us?" Daly asked.  
The two guards thought for a moment and then nodded before silently leading them into the capital. The sight they found in the hallway that led to the office of Semper Haruuk was very concerning because on either side were guards lined up in formation but they weren't the usual Nemoidian guards. Daly did not recognise the insignia that was on their armour but when he sensed how stiff Commander Cody became behind him he knew that these men weren't good company. David stuck close to Daly as he pretended that he wasn't affected by the presence of these men when deep down he was terrified. Finally, they reached the office at the end of the hallway and were welcomed by Semper Haruuk.  
"Master Jedi welcome, come and take a seat," Semper said as he seemed overly welcome which just made Daly even more suspicious as he also spotted a guard in the same armour as the others out in the hallway standing behind the Neimoidian but realised this man was higher up in the chain of command. Daly and David sat in the seats opposite the Trade Federation's new leader and then they proceeded to get right down to business.  
"What can I do for you both hmm?" Semper asked curiously.  
"If you don't mind, we need to do a search of your city for a convict we believe is hiding here," Daly said as he knew that if he, in fact, informed Semper of the truth as to why they were on Cato Neimoidia then they would be arrested on the spot.  
"Of course you may use the private guest quarters downstairs if you like," Semper offered.  
"No thank you if you don't mind we will stay on our ship," Daly refused politely, "I can assure you this won't take any more than a few weeks at the most or a few a days at the least."  
Obviously, the Negotiations course and Obi-wan's tips were paying off as the man nodded pleasantly.  
"Of course, if you have need of anything just let me know and I'll be able to provide you with it," Semper offered, "May I ask who the convict is though?"  
"Nute Gunray," Daly answered confidently.  
The Neimoidian nodded in understanding, he had obviously seen the alert on the news a few days previously. Of course, this was a ruse Daly had created and he knew that the Viceroy was in the Coruscant prison in isolation so that everyone thought he had escaped.  
"If that is all my lord then we would like to start our investigation," Daly said.  
"Of course, of course."  
The two Jedi Padawans rose from their seats and left the office.  
Upon getting back to the shuttle David turned to Daly and asked, "Do you think he bought it?"  
"Most definitely but we will still have to be careful of those guards and I want at least five Clones stationed here at the shuttle at all times," Daly answered and then he turned to Cody, "Who were those men Cody?" he asked the Commander.  
"They are called Death Watch and they are a nasty bunch," Cody responded.  
Daly stroked his chin and then laughed at himself as he realised he had caught onto his Master's habit, except Daly didn't think a beard would suit him.  
"That's going to be a problem," Daly said as they entered the shuttle again and began researching the Death Watch.

* * *

Later that night, Daly was lying outside on the platform looking up at the stars; wondering what the others were all up to right now. He had been hoping to go to Nar Shaddaa with Raven as he knew that's where his father and sister were without a single doubt in his mind. Raven had informed him before their departure that Ashlyn had tweaked the plan a little and he was sure that it would all work in their favour. Then he thought back to how he had been getting closer to Ashlyn and no matter how much he wished he could he didn't believe he would be capable of putting his duty as a Jedi before her safety. This terrified him because that was the only way the Council would allow them to be together. However, Ashlyn seemed to think it would be easy to do from their conversation after she had gotten back to the Temple after going somewhere with her Master.

 _Daly and Ashlyn were walking through the gardens of the Temple when they came to the edge of the gardens. They looked out over Coruscant and Ashlyn sighed as she leaned against him, his arm curling around her without the owner even thinking about it.  
"So where did you go with your Master?" Daly asked as the sun began to set in the sky.  
"Well we went to have lunch with Senator Amidala and he told me some things," Ashlyn answered awkwardly, not knowing how to continue to explain what she had talked about with her Master.  
"And?" Daly prompted her to continue.  
"He is apparently married to Padme and he told me how we would be able to get the Council's permission for this," she explained as she gestured between them.  
"Really? What did he say?" Daly asked excitedly.  
"He said that there are only two ways for them to approve, the first would be through a prophecy and the second would be through both of us proving that we can put our duty as Jedi before our feelings," Ashlyn said.  
"Oh," Daly responded almost disheartened by the revelation, "Is there a prophecy?" he asked hopefully.  
"I had a vision a few months before we met but-," Ashlyn started.  
"But what?" Daly asked eagerly, "What was it about?"  
"In it were a row of children, six to be exact, two girls and four boys. All of them were different ages but each shared a resemblance to both of us," Ashlyn said, "The eldest was a boy about the age of fifteen with blonde hair and blue eyes, the next was another boy with brown hair and hazel eyes about the age of ten, the next two were obviously twins; a girl and boy, the girl had brown hair and browns eyes while the boy had reddish blonde hair and green eyes both looked to be around nine years old, the next was a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes around five years old and the last was a boy with brown hair and blue eyes and he couldn't be any older than two years old."  
After Ashlyn finished she looked back up at Daly who looked shocked and surprised. A few moments passed and then he shook his head in an attempt to clear it.  
"Is this enough of a prophecy for the Council to allow us to be together?" Daly asked.  
"I don't think so," Ashlyn said, "Do you not think you could achieve the other way?" she asked in concern.  
Daly turned away from her and looked out into the Coruscanti sky, "I don't know, I would love to say that I could but I really don't know if I would be able to do it," Daly admitted.  
"Daly, prophecy or no prophecy the Council will want to be sure that we can put duty before love. Remember what Master Yoda has always said about an unstable mind of a Jedi who cannot let go of the people they care about," Ashlyn reminded, "My own Master came close to turning because of that one thing."  
"I know," Daly said as he turned back around and comforted her, "I promise I will try but I can't guarantee anything. I already almost lost you once, I'm not about to let that happen again anytime soon," Daly promised._

Daly came out of his reverie and looked around at his surroundings before standing up and walking up the loading ramp of the shuttle and into the crew quarters to get some rest. As he fell asleep he reached out in his mind to investigate the bonds he shared with so many people and found no alarms which helped him relax until finally, he let sleep overcome him completely.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Please review!_

 _Ashlyn Dubreas._


	9. Chapter 8-Nar Shaddaa

**Nar Shaddaa**

The next day on the planet of Nar Shaddaa, Raven and Bramax stalked along the side of a tall building as they came closer to the signature they were following. Inoma was below with Chewbacca and a few of the Clones who had chosen to walk on solid ground instead of braving the extreme heights.  
"How do you think the others are fairing Raven?" Bramax asked curiously.  
"I think we partly got the easiest planet to search," Raven said confidently.  
"What makes you say that?" Bramax asked in alarm.  
"Because we don't have to deal with any politics or leaders of the planet," Raven pointed out and then he cursed himself for his loss of focus on the task at hand.  
"What? What's wrong?" Bramax exclaimed as he almost walked straight into Raven and fell to his death. Thankfully he caught his balance before he fell and then turned to glare at the other Padawan and complain about no warning being given.  
"I lost the signature," Raven said into his comlink, "Head back to the ship," he added before scaling the building down back to solid ground.  
"What do you mean you lost it again?" Inoma asked in frustration when she reached Raven's location.  
"I mean exactly that, it was probably a false trail anyway either that or this Sith moves around too much for their own good," Raven growled in response.  
Then Bramax landed in a crouch nearby and the group began the trip back to the ship.  
"How does someone just keep disappearing like this?" Bramax asked incredulously.  
"With training and lots of it too," Raven answered the question as if it was the simplest and easiest question in the Galaxy to answer.  
"I have a feeling that they already know we are here and from what my Master has told me that is never a good sign when you're dealing with Sith," Raven said as he led the group back to the ship.  
"Should we implement Ash's plan?" Inoma asked.  
"No not yet, it's too soon and besides she told me to make one hundred per cent sure that this is the place they are hiding," Raven responded with certainty, "It's still possible that these are all old or false trails that the Sith are leaving."  
"How can you be sure there is more than one?" Bramax inquired.  
"That's what Master Vos said there is only two; no more, no less," Raven answered.  
When they reached the Millennium Falcon one of the Clones approached the group and informed them that there was a holocall from the others. Raven walked straight over to the holoterminal and pressed a few buttons. Holo images of Ashlyn, Jania, Serin, Ancor, David, Daly, Stret, Gav and Treb all appeared which caused Raven to sigh in relief.  
"Thank goodness, how is everyone's searches going so far?" Raven asked.  
"We found out the Death Watch has been recruited by the Sith, they must have promised control of Mandalore to them," Ashlyn said.  
"They have a warehouse full of weapons: bombs, blasters and lightsabers," Jania finished for her.  
"Lightsabers?" Raven exclaimed in complete shock.  
"We have also discovered that the Neimoidians have joined the Sith as well and that the Death Watch have become the special guards of the new leader, Semper Haruuk, who became the leader of the Trade Federation after the assassination of the previous leader. No doubt this is also the work of the Sith," Daly revealed.  
Raven groaned, "Could this get any worse?" he asked himself.  
"Well I'm afraid it just did, a few of the Hutts have broken off from the main clan and have made a treaty with what they called the dark shadows, apparently at blade point. The Sith now have access to all of Hutt space and their supplies," Serin informed everyone, "What about Geonosis?" he asked, turning to Gav and Treb.  
"We have made very little progress, even with C3-P0 to translate, it's been difficult to get anything useful out of these creatures," Gav said.  
"But we went snooping around and found one of the old factories from the Clone Wars is back up and running but this time from the intel we have gathered these droids are far more sophisticated and deadly than the ones these bugs were building for the Separatists," Treb continued where Gav had left off.  
"How much more deadly?" Ashlyn asked in concern.  
"The numbers are small but somehow I think that was intentional on the part of the Sith who are paying for these droids to be made," Gav said, "They are able to almost think for themselves."  
"How about you Raven?" Ashlyn inquired as she turned to look at the other teenager.  
"If they are here they are doing a very good job of hiding themselves. We have followed multiple trails for the past week and nothing has been achieved. These might just be hoax trails and it's possible they aren't even on this planet's surface," Raven explained.  
"Alright, contact us the moment you find anything," Ashlyn said.  
"Ash, if you don't mind there is nothing more we can do on Cato Neimoidia," Daly mentioned.  
"Sure thing Daly, head back to the fleet," Ashlyn answered, "May the Force be with all of us."  
The holocall ended and Raven groaned as he fell into one of the seats nearby the terminal in frustration and he allowed himself to doze off. Then all of a sudden a memory came to the forefront of his mind.

 _"My father and twin sister are Force Sensitive," Daly's voice said in the back of his head, "I ran away from home, my father was a drunk and treated my sister and me harshly."_

The thought came to Raven that maybe Daly knew something that could help the investigation and then began to put in the communication number for Daly's shuttle. After a few moments, Daly answered and greeted him as if nothing were amiss.  
"Mate, what area of Nar Shaddaa did you live in before you ran away from home?" Raven asked curiously.  
"Why do you ask?" Daly inquired.  
"I think your sister might be connected to this somehow," Raven pointed out, "Remember you told me that your sister was Force Sensitive, maybe she knows the people we are looking for," Raven explained.  
"Raven, are you suggesting that my sister is one of the Sith we are looking for? Cause that is preposterous besides we are looking for a Master and an Apprentice," Daly answered, "Either way you have a good point, I lived in New Vertica," he added.  
"Thanks mate, it's just the only thing I can think of at the moment. I'll try and find people connected to me as well, best to explore all the possibilities," Raven said before ending the holocall.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Stay tuned for what happens next. _

_Ashlyn Dubreas._


	10. Chapter 9-Geonosis

**Geonosis**

Meanwhile on Geonosis, the Geonosian leader answered their questions in his language while C3-P0 tried to decipher and translate it for the two Jedi Padawans.  
"Give it up, we went to the old factory and found it in perfect working order again when the treaty you signed with the Republic says you are not to start anymore production of droids on your planet," Treb growled.  
The droid translated it and then turned to Treb, "He says that if the factory is operating it is not of his orders and that someone else may be in charge of it," C3-P0 said.  
Treb groaned and stormed away out of frustration.  
"Apologise to him for us Threepio. Treb has always been the impatient sort and then come back to the shuttle," Gav requested calmly.  
Gav followed after Treb and caught up to him just as they reached the shuttle to find his friend very aggravated by the bug-like creature apparently not knowing about the factory being used to build droids again.  
"He has to know about it, Gav. That factory isn't even a league from this place and yet he claims to have nothing to do with it nor knows who is behind it," Treb stated confidently.  
"You're sure about this, Treb?" Gav asked, worried that something bad could go wrong very quickly if they weren't careful.  
"Yes, I'm positive," Treb responded confidently.  
"I say we should go to the factory, have another look around and then head back to the fleet," Gav suggested.  
Treb nodded his head confidently.

* * *

The droid factory was silent from the outside of the overly large structure but once inside the noise of the machines and the assembly line of droids being built became deafening. The hallways were tricky to maneuver as they were designed by creatures that could fly. Once they found the centre of the factory they hid behind a low wall and watched the assembly line and Gav started taking holo-images of the scene in front of them while Treb watched his back when suddenly they heard a loud noise.  
"It came from over there," Treb whispered as he pulled his Macrobinoculars out to have a look, "Blast it! We need to get closer," he exclaimed softly.  
"If we go any deeper in we won't be able to find our way back out," Gav pointed out.  
The two Padawans looked at each other, "Fine you stay here and I'll go," Treb said as he started stalking away from Gav.  
"Treb, you're going to get us caught," Gav growled through gritted teeth but his friend ignored him and kept going.  
Gav groaned and then followed his friend. As they rounded the assembly line they saw what had made the noise and gasped. There was an arena with one droid and six people in it all of whom had lightsabers. Then Gav recognised one of them and pointed to her.  
"That's Naruuna Fella, remember her? She was one of the ones reported dead during the battle of Geonosis. My Master told me about her, how is she alive?" Gav asked in complete astonishment.  
He took out his holo camera and took holo-images of the scene in front of him as the droid activated and then began to attack the Jedi. After ten minutes, all were on the ground and looked to be dead but Gav could sense that they were still alive.  
"What the hell are these droids? Who wants them and why?" Gav asked no one in particular. They didn't have to wait long for their answer as someone walked out into the arena and looked over all the bodies.  
"Perfect, exactly what I wanted Fegleb," the voice carried up to the two Padawans and they realised it was a girl.  
The Geonosian leader came out of the shadows and began to speak in his native language, what he was saying the two Padawans couldn't make out.  
"That bombous liar," Treb growled as he reached for his lightsaber.  
"Treb no," Gav growled but it was too late, his friend had jumped down into the arena and then was knocked out by the droid.  
"What do we have here?" the girl said as she walked up to the body.  
Gav shook his head and then his vision went black.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Sorry for the late chapter but this one needed to be short. Review please?_

 _Ashlyn Dubreas._


	11. Chapter 10-Quesh

**Quesh**

Meanwhile, on the planet of Quesh, Serin and Ancor were following another trail left behind by the Sith which seemed to be hours old from what Serin had said before becoming totally focused on the trail. Eventually, they came to a building which was owned by the Hutts and Serin held his arm out to stop Ancor in his tracks. They snuck around into a group of bushes and then Serin hid their presence so that nobody would sense them. After a few moments, someone came out of the entrance to the building and began to walk back the way they had come. The person passed their hiding spot without noticing that someone was watching them. Serin crept out of the bushes with Ancor close behind him and they slowly followed the person. After around a half hour of walking, they came across a shuttle and Ancor reached into one of the pouches on his belt. He withdrew a tracking device and was about to activate it before using the Force to attach it to the hull of the shuttle. However, before he could the Sith turned around suddenly and was staring right at them and Serin motioned for Ancor not to move. The older Padawan then began to stalk around the clearing in the trees when someone jumped him. The Sith had sensed him and they began to fight.  
"Serin!" Ancor yelled as he came out of hiding and joined in the lightsaber battle.  
"You both made a grave mistake following me," a voice said from under the hood of the Sith and they realised it belonged to a girl.  
"No you will regret coming back here," Serin growled back as their blades connected and made grating sounds. Then all of a sudden the Sith kicked Ancor which sent him flying back from the Force of it and she let lightning loose on him. Serin jumped in the way to block the onslaught with his lightsabers. She began to laugh maniacally which sent shivers down the spines of both the Padawans.  
"Fools!" she yelled as she released the lightning, "I am a Sith Lord, not a puny little Padawan."  
Serin growled and then charged the Sith again with picked up speed, "I am not a puny Padawan," he snarled through gritted teeth as he became more dangerous with the moves he used. He knew that these moves were risky especially when mixed with uncontrolled emotions but he did not care at that moment. The fighting continued when the shuttle suddenly took off and the Sith in front of him disappeared leaving only the cloak and lightsaber behind. Serin looked up to see the real one in the pilot seat of the shuttle and he growled under his breath as he realised she had fooled them. He stood there for a few moments then heard a groan from behind him and then remembered that Ancor had been hit with the lightning. He turned to find the other Padawan slightly unconscious and was only just waking up. Serin walked up to him, shaking his head, "You should have left it to me."  
"And let you have the fun?" Ancor said in a parched voice as he began to cough.  
Serin leant down and helped the fellow Padawan to his feet and then helped him walk back to the shuttle where the Clones were waiting for them to return. The medic came over to the pair and helped Serin walk Ancor over to one of the bunkers in the small ship's crew quarters. Serin did not stay in the room and left immediately to go to the holocommunicator which was situated in the cockpit. He entered in the numbers to contact the main fleet and waited a few minutes for an answer. Anakin Skywalker appeared and asked Serin what was happening.  
"Master Skywalker, we came across a new fresh trail today and ran into the Sith," Serin explained.  
"Please tell me you did not engage her?" Anakin asked almost in a pleading tone.  
"Sadly she sensed us and we fought for a few moments. Ancor got hit with Force Lightning and how did you know it was a girl?" Serin answered before asking his own question.  
"Because Daly said the Sith he came across on Katarr was a girl," Anakin responded, "You need to get back here as we have new leads to follow."  
"I'm not finished here Master," Serin said defiantly.  
"Yes you are, you risked your life as well as Ancor's by following that Sith when you knew to keep your distance. You will be back here in three days which is the time it will take you to get that shuttle back to the fleet," Anakin ordered before ending the holocall.  
Serin glared at the empty space where the holo-image of the Jedi Master had disappeared and wished that his Master was in charge and not Master Skywalker. The Padawan rose from the seat and headed out to talk to the Clones and give them their orders to pack up the camp and get ready to leave the planet. Which they followed without hesitation or questioning and that is how Serin liked things to be. However, instead of hanging around to help he went to scout the area and he was confident that if he found the clearing he would be able to find something the Sith left behind to help them in their search. Which he did find some items of interest: a holocron, the cloak and lightsaber that the apparition had been using. Serin picked the items up and took them back to the shuttle which he handed to a Clone.  
"Put them in a crate on their own," Serin ordered.  
The Clone saluted and did as he had been instructed straight away without question and soon enough the entire camp had been packed away in the shuttle. Not long after the shuttle was in Hyperspace with all of its occupants on board.

* * *

Two days later, they came out of Hyperspace right next to the fleet and they entered the hangar of the Scoundrels Constellation. Serin and Ancor strode down the loading platform and were met by the others except for Gav, Treb, Raven and Bramax.  
"What's happening?" Serin asked.  
"We lost contact with Gav and Treb on Geonosis, we believe they have been taken prisoner by the Geonosians," Ashlyn revealed solemnly.  
"What?" Ancor exclaimed in alarm, "We have to go rescue them."  
Ashlyn shook her head, "The Jedi Council won't allow us to go and help them."  
Serin frowned deeply, "To hell with those old fools, we are going to Geonosis whether they want us to or not," he said.  
"Yeah, except we're due to go to other planets to investigate more leads and how do you propose we go to Geonosis without our Masters finding out?" Jania asked incredulously.  
"When we all are about to enter Hyperspace again tomorrow we need to put in the coordinates for Geonosis instead of our intended destination that our Masters want us to go to," Serin revealed his plan in full.  
The others all looked and listened to him in complete shock as he divulged his plan to rescue Gav and Treb. When he finished they all agreed on the plan and the course of action willingly and without question.  
"What if the Clones ask?" David inquired.  
"We will tell them that the orders were changed," Daly answered.  
"You guys do realise that our Masters will find out one way or another?" Ashlyn pointed out the obvious as they all nodded in response.  
"Yeah we could get into really big trouble for this if we are not careful," Ancor added on top of it.  
"As I said before, I don't care what our Masters think we are not leaving Treb and Gav to die," Serin stated clearly.

* * *

 _Ashlyn Dubreas_


	12. Chapter 11-Prisoners

**Prisoners**

Meanwhile, Gav's head swam as he sat up and then he groaned as he rubbed the back of his head where it was pounding in a steady rhythm of pain. He looked to his left and found Treb lying a little ways away from him whose fingers twitched every now and then. Then Gav looked around the sand coloured room as he tried to remember what had happened and where they were before it all came flooding back to him in one massive blow.  
"Oh for Force sakes Treb you idiot," Gav growled as he picked up a stone and threw it softly at his friend which didn't even get a reaction from the other boy.  
Gav rose to his feet unsteadily before walking over to his friend to check and make sure he wasn't seriously injured which it turned out he wasn't.  
"Man whatever those droids hit you with, they certainly did their job," Gav said as he tried to think of a way to get out of the hole they had gotten themselves into. It didn't take much longer for Treb to come around and when he did the complaining began as usual which slowly drove Gav mental. After a few minutes, Gav had wished Treb had stayed unconscious and it didn't take long for him to voice that opinion.  
"Treb, either help me come up with a plan or shut up," Gav growled in a very dangerous voice which only resulted in Treb complaining more but in grumbles. This, however, didn't help Gav's sanity and he hoped the others had noticed their disappearance and would be here soon to free them from this prison.

* * *

Meanwhile in open space near Katarr, the Padawans all stood in the hangar of the Scoundrels Constellation as Master Skywalker gave them each their next destinations while Clones were walking around carrying supplies.  
The planets they were going to was Corellia, Kalee, Felucia and Tatooine which didn't sit well with some of them. After they were told where they would be going the Padawans left in the pairs to board their shuttles and it wasn't long before they were out in the space around the fleet and entering Hyperspace.  
"Captain Rex, set course for Geonosis," Ashlyn said confidently hoping that the Clone Captain would not notice the change.  
"Ahh General Skywalker said-," Captain Rex started but Ashlyn interrupted him.  
"Yes he did but there has been a change of the plan."  
The Captain followed her instructions and it wasn't long before they were in Hyperspace; Ashlyn got up from the pilot seat and left the cockpit to contact the others. Daly and Serin responded in a few moments and the three Padawans discussed their plan for rescuing Treb and Gav.

* * *

After two days in Hyperspace had passed, the shuttles came out of Hyperspace above the planet of their intended destination. Everything was going smoothly until they entered the atmosphere of the desert planet when one of the shuttles had just managed to miss a hit from an anti-aircraft gun.  
"What was that?" David exclaimed.  
"Take care guys they don't want us landing which is going to happen regardless of what they want," Ashlyn stated simply.  
It wasn't long before they had landed and were faced with the massive structure in front of them which was the droid factory that was supposed to be shut down. The Padawans and Clones ran off the shuttles which took off as soon as they were all off. The pilots were to go to a point further away from where they had organised for them to set up a base.  
"Come on men!" Rex yelled over the blaster fire and the Clones all formed up and began to fight their way forward.  
All six Padawans had their lightsabers out and were deflecting as many shots as they could to help the Clones from being hit. The plan was working smoothly so far and the droids and bugs were being pushed back. Ashlyn silently wished they had their Masters with them as the gusts of sand and dirt that were being kicked up were starting to become a problem. All of their Masters had fought in the Battle of Geonosis during the Clone Wars and more than likely had a few tricks up their sleeves that would have been useful.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Sorry about this one being so short there was just not an awful lot of need for this chapter to be very long._

Ashlyn Dubreas.


	13. Chapter 12-Interrogations

**Interrogations**

Meanwhile on the planet below.  
"Forget it," Gav growled as best he could through the choke hold the Sith had around his throat.  
She then dropped him to his hands and knees as Gav began to gasp for breathe and she laughed in a way that sent shivers down Gav's and Treb's spines.  
"I know my brother is up to something and you're going to tell me what it is," she snarled aggressively.  
"Brother? We don't know your brother," Treb snapped back with confusion written all over his face.  
"Of course you do," the Sith paused and then chuckled, "Oh dear, he didn't tell you who he is, did he?" she asked.  
"We have no clue who you are referring to," Gav said as he stood back up and balled his fists.  
"Of course you don't and I would so love to reveal his little secret but I'm short on time and I need answers to my questions," she repeated as she let lose lightning from her hands which hit Gav. It only lasted a few seconds but it was enough to cause excruciating pain to the Padawan's entire body. "How about you just tell me what I want to know?"  
Gav shook his head defiantly and then the Sith turned to Treb, who shook his head in defiance as well. Their refusing caused her to become angrier as she sent a bolt of lightning at Treb as well.  
"I have run out of time but I have a message for you to deliver to my brother. Tell him to stop following me and Father," she said before she stormed out of the cell.  
Gav and Treb looked at each other in shock, "Who do you think it is?" Treb asked curiously.  
"I have no idea," Gav responded.

* * *

Outside the factory, the Padawans were reflecting bullets one after another as they slowly managed to push the enemies lines back towards the factory where Ashlyn could sense Gav and Treb far in the depths of the enormous structure. Daly frowned as he sensed someone else and groaned at the realisation as he watched a ship leave the planet surface from the other side of the factory. Then Commander Cody came up behind him, "There is a com call coming through the shuttles for you, Padawan Dubreas and Starfall," he said.  
Serin and Ashlyn began to back away as they left Jania, David, Ancor and Daly to defend the rest of the Clones. They followed Cody back to the base and answered the call to find all their Masters lined up in front of them.  
"Padawans, where in the name of the Force are you?" Master Kenobi asked.  
"Geonosis Master, we came to rescue Gav and Treb," Serin answered truthfully.  
"After we specifically ordered you not to?" Master Windu said disapprovingly.  
"All due respect Masters but I am the one in charge of this mission and I am the one responsible for what happens to my team," Serin snarled in response.  
"You will return back to the fleet, what you are doing is reckless young ones," Master Skywalker ordered as he folded his arms across his chest and gave Ashlyn a most disapproving look.  
It was silent for a few moments and Serin was about to retort when Ashlyn motioned for him to remain silent.  
"Sorry Master, we can't do that," Ashlyn said, "There are anti-aircraft cannons and if we were to try and retreat we would be shot down," she added.  
"Besides we have almost defeated the factory's defences," Serin said.  
"Stay where you are we will be coming to get you all," Master Skywalker said as he ended the holocall.  
"What were you thinking?" Serin growled at her.  
"It will take a whole day for them to get here and that will give us enough time if we change our plan slightly," Ashlyn said simply.  
"How so?" Serin asked.  
"Instead of guarding the Clones you, Daly and I can jump ahead and destroy the defences much quicker. Jania can slip through the defences and attack them from behind while David and Ancor can guard the Clones," Ashlyn revealed her plan.  
Serin nodded, "That could work but it'll be risky."  
"By the time these droids and bugs are down our Masters will be here and they will have no choice but to let us continue with rescuing Gav and Treb," Ashlyn stated with steady confidence.  
"Let's just hope that those droids Gav and Treb mentioned aren't operational yet, otherwise we will have no chance," Serin pointed out worriedly.  
"Somehow I don't think they are," Ashlyn responded even though she had a bad feeling about it.

* * *

A short time later, Daly cut down droids left, right and centre as he saw Serin get surrounded by several droids. Upon getting close enough to the other Padawan he turned to the side slightly and pushed some of the droids over with the Force. Serin nodded curtly in appreciation and then the three of them continued to push the droids back towards the mote around the factory which resulted in hundreds of them falling into the cassum. Obviously, their programming hadn't been developed fully yet otherwise they would have just gone across the bridge which was now clear. Ashlyn, Daly and Serin approached the bridge cautiously when Ashlyn all of a sudden sensed that something was wrong and held up her hand to stop the boys from stepping onto the bridge.  
"We are going to have to find another way across," Ashlyn said.  
"Why?" Serin asked curiously.  
"Because this bridge will deactivate if we walk onto it," Ashlyn revealed which caused Daly and Serin to take a step away from it.  
"Should we wait for our Masters?" Ancor enquired as he, David and the Clones joined them at the bridge.  
"No, it will be too late," Ashlyn said shaking her head and then she spotted something out of the corner of her eye and looked down into the mote. "Look over there," she said, pointing down into the deadly drop. The Padawans all looked in the direction she was looking in and they all watched as a Geonosian came out of a tunnel and then walked back in. Daly then spotted a path down the rocky cliff face of the mote and pointed it out to the others.  
"Good idea Daly," Ashlyn said, "Either way we should head back to the base and make a plan to getting into the factory and I know just the person to contact."  
Upon reaching the base Ashlyn went to the com station and typed in the contact number; after a few seconds the very person she wanted to talk to answered.  
"Ash, what's happening? Skyguy is furious," Ahsoka asked in deep concern.  
"Never mind that, remember the factory you and Master Offee had to get into during the Clone Wars on Geonosis?" Ashlyn asked.  
"Of course why do you ask?" Ahsoka inquired curiously.  
"Well we need to get in there and we will need your help," Ashlyn revealed her plan to the Knight.  
"Wow, hold up! Ash, Skyguy told you not to do anything until they get there," Ahsoka said as she folded her arms.  
"But-," Ashlyn started.  
"No buts, you are not going to enter that factory do you understand me?" Ahsoka ordered.  
Ashlyn sighed, "Okay Ahsoka, we'll wait."  
"Very good, now I have to go but make sure you stay away from that factory," Ahsoka farewelled before ending the call.  
Ashlyn turned to the others, "I'll go in," she said.  
Daly came and stood in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders, "Ash, that's a suicide mission. Ahsoka is right, it's far too dangerous even more so doing it blind."  
"I am not abandoning Gav and Treb," Ashlyn said firmly.  
"You aren't, I would never dream of asking you to abandon them but we need to wait otherwise it could cost us our lives," Daly reassured her, "I won't let you go in there," he added determidly.  
Ashlyn groaned and let her head fall onto his chest as she felt Daly's arms wrap around her in an embrace which she returned.  
"So what are we doing?" Serin asked after a few moments of silence.  
Daly and Ashlyn turned to him, "We're going to wait for our Masters to get here; in the meantime Jania will keep a close eye on the factory," Ashlyn said, "Contact us if anything moves inside."  
Jania nodded and then turned and stalked off calling for five Clones to follow her.

* * *

A/N: Review Please?

Ashlyn Dubreas.


	14. Chapter 13-X5-S9

**X5-S9**

The next day, the fleet came out of Hyperspace above Geonosis and the Jedi Masters all boarded the Wolf Star-Runner as Eric began to take off while Anakin and Obi-wan were giving final orders to Stret.  
"Remember no matter what happens don't leave the bridge," Obi-wan said.  
"You're in charge Padawan and it won't be long until we will be back with the others," Anakin said. Stret bowed respectfully before turning around and heading straight to the bridge as he began giving out orders to the Clones and naval officers. He wasn't used to being the one to give out orders but if it meant the success of his tasks and mission then he would do so.  
The nine Jedi Masters sat in the passenger hold of the Wolf Star-Runner as it took off and began its trip down to the planet surface.  
"How could our Padawans go against orders and do something so reckless?" Master Ti asked no one in particular.  
"Oh I think we all know who is responsible for this little charade," Master Windu stated as he glared at Ferris Olin and Anakin Skywalker out of the corner of his eye.  
"Don't pin this on Ashlyn and Serin. If we had told them our plan to get Gavaro and Aurick then none of this would have happened," Anakin pointed out, "But you thought that if we did then they would want to come with us instead of going to their new assignments."  
"At least my Padawan stayed where he was meant to," Master Windu said smugly.  
"Well, of course, Morenci stayed put. There was no way he could have left without us knowing," Quinlan Vos argued.  
"Masters please, this is no one's fault," Master Secura scolding the squabbling, "It is under us to be having this conversation."  
"Aayla is right. We caused this by not informing our Padawans of our plan to rescue Aurick and Gavaro," Master Mundi said calmly.  
"It would be foolish of us to become hostile with a battle on our doorstep," Master Koon added which caused the others to all become silent with shame. Then they felt the ship land on solid ground and walked down the loading ramp with Eric close behind. The occupants of the camp were there waiting to greet the Jedi Masters and the Padawans looked at their boots upon seeing their Masters' faces.  
"We are in so much trouble," Ashlyn mumbled under her breath.  
"Not me, my Master encourages me to do this sort of thing," Serin said confidently.  
"You better not let the others know that then," Ancor growled in frustration at the older boy.  
The Padawans approached their respective Masters to accept their fate of lecture after lecture which ensued within a few minutes.  
"Ash, what were you thinking?" Anakin asked incredulously, "You could have got the others killed, not to mention we were going to come here ourselves," he added in frustration at the lack of sense his Padawan had obtained.  
"You would have done it too besides all we need to do is walk into the factory as all the droids are destroyed," Ashlyn retorted.  
"What?" Anakin growled, "You disobeyed my direct order not to engage in battle?"  
"Well maybe you should have told us that you were planning on coming here," Ashlyn growled back as she folded her arms.  
Eric walked past the group with Stones and approached the Clones to organise them while the Jedi Masters were busy dealing with their Padawans.  
"Padawans, you are all going back to the fleet!" Obi-wan called over the voices which caused an uproar amongst the students.  
"We are not abandoning Gav and Treb," Ashlyn said in determination.  
"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you my young Padawan but you have to follow our orders, whether you want to or not," Anakin stated firmly.  
"Forget it!" Ashlyn growled as she turned and stalked away from her Master, and toward the factory as she activated her lightsabers.  
The other Padawans looked between her and their Masters until they decided to follow her lead and leave the camp.  
"You all certainly have a way with teenagers," Eric chuckled in amusement and then went to follow them when he was stopped by Mace Windu.  
"Where are you going?" the Jedi Master demanded.  
"To help them, the longer we stand around chatting the longer the enemy has time to fight back," Eric revealed as if it was the most obvious thing in the Galaxy, "Come on Stones."  
The Masters all looked at each other and then nodded as they followed suit with the Clones right behind them.

* * *

Upon reaching the bridge, Ashlyn and Daly nodded to each other and then started to stride across. The reaction from the factory came from under the bridge as multiple droids walked over the edge and started shooting at the Padawans. All of them started to block the bolts which were coming too fast for them to keep up with. After the Masters and Clones joined them Ashlyn started to notice a recurring theme with these droids. They only shot at those who were wielding lightsabers which caused Ashlyn to gasp and felt her Master acknowledge her discovery. Ashlyn felt herself suddenly being pushed the rest of the way across the bridge with Daly landing next to her. She got up to see her Master nod his head at her and she focused on trying to help Daly up from the hard ground. As he got to his feet Ashlyn saw Ancor and David get shot down and was about to run back over towards the group but something invisible stopped her.  
"No Ash! Go now!" Anakin yelled at her as he managed to break through one of the droid's shields and destroy it.  
Ashlyn and Daly did as they were told and ran through the large arch doorway of the factory and into the very depths of the building.  
"How exactly are we going to find Gav and Treb?" Daly asked.  
"We can follow their Force Signatures, come on," Ashlyn responded as she took off down the hallway and then turned left. Daly followed close behind her as they turned left again and then Ashlyn jumped up through a hole in the ceiling.  
"Shouldn't we be going down?" Daly asked incredulously with a quirked eyebrow.  
"No we need to go up," Ashlyn said as she continued climbing up the hole.

* * *

A/N: Tell me what you think so far?

Ashlyn Dubreas.


	15. Chapter 14-Rescue

**Rescue**

Ashlyn lead the way through the catacombs and hallways of the factory when they came to the main hub of the factory and watched as hundreds of the droids outside were being built right in front of them.  
"These must be the droids Treb and Gav told us about," Daly mentioned, "But why build droids to only kill Jedi?" he asked.  
"I don't know," Ashlyn said as she heard noises come from the other side of the assembly line and the two nodded to each other before going around to see what was making the commotion.  
When they got to the other side they were meet with a horrifying sight of an arena with two people in the middle with their lightsabers activated and one of the completed droids. Ashlyn gasped as she recognised the two Jedi as Gav and Treb, she looked at Daly to see him in complete shock. As they watched the droid was activated and began to shoot at Treb and Gav which they deflected easily at first but then it became more difficult to keep up with the speed of the droid.  
"We have to do something," Ashlyn said.  
"Yeah but what? If we jump down there we will be captured," Daly responded.  
"I don't care, we have to do something," Ashlyn said as she began to climb over the rail and was preparing to jump down into the arena.  
Daly grabbed onto her hand, "Ash, no."  
Ashlyn looked into his eyes and shook her head as she pulled her hand out of his grip and she proceeded to fall down into the pit right between the droid and her friends.  
"Ash!" three voices called out all at once.  
"Get ready boys, it's time to get out of here," Ashlyn said as she activated her lightsabers and then rushed towards the droid and did what she saw her Master do.  
She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Daly helping her while Gav and Treb were standing a little further back deflecting shots from the droid. In a matter of minutes, the droid was destroyed and the four Padawans gathered in a huddle.  
"We knew you'd come for us," Gav said graciously.  
"Of course my brother always," Daly said as he punched Gav in the shoulder and then fist pumped with Treb.  
"Ahh I'm really glad you are both okay but we need to get out of here," Ashlyn said awkwardly.  
"Not without the others we don't," Treb said determinedly.  
"Others?" Daly asked, frowning slightly.  
"There are other Jedi being held prisoner here, all of them supposedly died during the Clone Wars but they have been here all this time. The Geonosians were using them for the experiments with the droids," Gav explained.  
"I'm sorry guys but if we are to escape we need to leave now," Ashlyn said as she began to walk back to the wall so as to scale it.  
"Ash, please?" Treb begged.  
Ashlyn sighed and turned back to face him, "I'm sorry Treb but we can't," she said before beginning to climb up the wall.  
Daly and Gav came up close behind her while Treb took a little longer but he did eventually follow.  
"Retreat!"  
The Clones spotted the four Padawans sprinting back across the bridge toward them as Anakin and Obi-wan called the order out several more times. So the soldiers began to back away quickly shooting the droids as they did so. By the time the group got back to the base, it had already been packed up and they jumped into the shuttles without hesitation as they took off straight after the loading ramps closed. Ashlyn fell into a seat exhausted with Daly next to her, they looked at each other and laughed.  
"You are going to get me killed one of these days you know," Daly managed through his laughter.  
"Well at least I'm not boring you," Ashlyn responded with as she leaned into his side.  
Daly kissed the top of her head and then leaned his cheek against her hair, "I love you," he whispered into her ear softly.  
Ashlyn giggled and looked up into his eyes but couldn't say the words for some reason which caused Daly to frown as Ashlyn looked away again.  
"What? What's wrong?" Daly asked in concern.  
"This is just going so fast, too fast," Ashlyn said, biting her lip.  
"How hard is it?" Daly demanded, "You love me, don't you?" he added in frustration.  
"Of course," Ashlyn said hesitantly.  
"Then say it," Daly demanded, "I want to hear you say it."  
Ashlyn sent her feelings to him through their bond and he stood up suddenly.  
"You know that's not what I mean," Daly growled.  
"Daly, what's wrong?" Ashlyn asked in confusion.  
"Ash, I don't want to put my heart and soul into this if you don't want to," Daly retorted as his frown deepened.  
"Daly I-," Ashlyn started but Daly interrupted.  
"No I don't want any excuses," Daly growled.  
At that moment Gav came out of the makeshift medical bay at the back of the shuttle and saw his two friends in the middle of an argument.  
"Sorry I'll just-," Gav began awkwardly but Daly cut him to the chase and stalked through the door to the cargo hold.  
Ashlyn's eyes never left the door for the next few minutes.  
"Is everything okay, Ash?" Gav asked with concern.  
"No everything is fine," Ashlyn said as she felt the shuttle land in the hangar of a ship and she walked down the loading ramp.  
"Okay?" Gav said awkwardly with a quirked eyebrow as he watched Ashlyn walk away before turning around and entering the cargo bay where he knew Daly was.  
"You alright mate?" Gav asked.  
"No I'm not," Daly responded in a harsh tone.  
"Do you want to talk about it?" Gav enquired softly after a long awkward silence.  
"Thanks mate but I'll be alright," Daly answered as he walked out of the cargo bay and left the shuttle.

* * *

A/N: It might seem like a silly thing to get angry about but you will quickly see that Daly has a few abandonment issues and Ashlyn is the first person he has allowed himself to love for a long time. Plus they are hormonal teens so what do you expect other than silly fights and arguments?

Ashlyn Dubreas.


	16. Chapter 15-New Orders

**New Orders**

Back on the Scoundrels Constellation which had begun the process of entering hyperspace along with the rest of the fleet, all the Padawans stood in a line in front of their Masters waiting anxiously for the grenade to drop on them.  
"Padawans what you all did was very reckless and very dangerous," Mace Windu growled as he emphasised every word he said.  
"Whose plan was this?" Plo Koon asked.  
The bridge was silent for the next few minutes as the Padawans looked at the ground almost in shame of their Masters' disapproval. Then one of them stepped forward; it was Serin and the Masters didn't seem shocked at all in the slightest.  
"It was my idea Masters," Serin admitted with a straight face as he glared at Master Windu.  
Ashlyn looked over at Serin and then coughed to attract the attention of their teachers and mentors as the Padawan stepped forward, "I am also responsible Masters."  
"Ferus and Anakin they are your responsibilities," Obi-wan said and then he dismissed the other Padawans.  
Serin walked up to Master Olin and bowed respectfully before standing back up straight as his Master began to say some serious words to him about what he had done.  
"Ash, what were you thinking?" Anakin asked incredulously.  
Ashlyn shrugged, "As I said before you would have done the same thing."  
Anakin groaned and then left the bridge with his student following close behind him.  
"Something is troubling you?" Anakin inquired as he sensed her feelings through their training bond.  
"Yes," Ashlyn whispered, "Daly and I had a fight."  
"Are you okay?" he asked in concern.  
"Yes," Ashlyn answered his question, "What will be happening now?"  
"You will be coming with me to Tatooine like you were supposed to with Jania," Anakin revealed.  
"But Raven said he's sure that Nar Shaddaa is the right place," Ashlyn retorted.  
"Even still, this is far bigger than we first thought it was and even if we do destroy the Sith, their allies are still out there," Anakin explained.

* * *

The Millennium Falcon landed in the hangar and the loading ramp dropped as Bramax came down it. It didn't take long before he was surrounded by the other Padawans in greeting and he was whisked away to the crew quarters where they all sat and talked. All of them were there except Ashlyn and Daly. Daly was in the hangar preparing to leave for Nar Shaddaa with Inoma to help Raven in his search as ordered by Obi-wan. Ashlyn was standing several metres behind him as he continued to ignore her. The Padawan watched as her friend boarded the ship and disappeared out the hangar, into deep space.  
"Be safe," Ashlyn whispered before turning around and walking out the hangar.  
Daly had been ignoring her since they had returned to the fleet and it was starting to drive her mad from the annoyance. But she knew that she wasn't ready to get into a serious relationship with him yet.  
"You ready to get going?" Anakin asked from behind her.  
"Yeah," Ashlyn answered as she followed her Master to the shuttle they were going to use to get to Tatooine.  
Tatooine was only five parsecs away from where the fleet was stationed which meant it would take at least two days to travel there. It gave Ashlyn slight peace of mind because Tatooine was only three parsecs away from Nar Shaddaa which meant if Daly and Raven needed a hand they would be the first to get there.

* * *

A/N: Really short chapter I know but there was not an awful lot of need for this chapter to be big.

Ashlyn Dubreas.


	17. Chapter 16-Disarray and Confusion

**Disarray and Confusion**

It was late in the afternoon when Inoma and Daly arrived on Nar Shaddaa one day after leaving the fleet. Daly walked into the building that they were using as a base and was greeted by Raven who looked overjoyed to see him.  
"This will be heaps easier with you mate," Raven said as he thumped Daly on the back.  
"Of course," Daly responded, "Okay so where is the trail strongest?"  
"Right in this sector here," Raven said as he pointing to the holomap of the planet.  
"The Redlight sector?" Daly inquired curiously.  
"Yeah."  
"Have you tried Justica territory?" Daly asked, pointing over at the other end of the map.  
"No there hasn't been any activity in that area at all," Raven revealed.  
"Maybe that's what the Sith want us to think," Daly suggested.  
"Hmmm, good point," Raven responded thoughtfully, "Captain!"  
The Clone Captain came forward as Raven gave him the order to take some men and search the area that Daly suggested and then report back on any findings, which meant the two friends were alone in the base.  
"Something's wrong Daly," Raven brought up.  
"No mate I'm fine," Daly tried to convince him as he turned his back on his best friend.  
"Mate I have known you for too long to not recognise when there is something bothering you," Raven said trying to convince his friend to talk to him.  
"Well forget about it, it's nothing," Daly growled in response.  
"Daly I'm only trying to help," Raven said trying to calm Daly down.  
"Well stop trying to help okay. There is nothing you or anyone else can do about it," Daly retorted in frustration.  
This only caused Raven to become even more concerned about his friend's mindset and he decided to contact Ashlyn to see if she knew what was bothering his best friend.  
"Well I'm off to get some rest," Raven said as he stood up and stretched, "You should probably do the same."  
There was no response so Raven sighed before entering one of the smaller rooms attached to the main area. Instead of falling asleep he picked up his comlink and called Ashlyn who didn't take long to respond.  
"Yes Raven, what is it?" Ashlyn asked.  
"I think you should talk to Daly, he is a mess," Raven revealed, "And he isn't thinking straight."  
"Trust me I've been trying to talk to him about what happened but he's been ignoring me since we got back to the fleet," Ashlyn said.  
"So you know what this is about?" Raven inquired curiously.  
"Yes I do but Daly won't want to listen to me, just give him a moment to calm down and then I'll try to talk to him tomorrow morning," Ashlyn said.  
There was suddenly a loud crashing noise from out in the main area of the base, Raven jumped to his feet and walked out to find Daly gone.  
"I don't believe this," Raven muttered.  
"Raven, what's happening?" Ashlyn asked.  
"Daly is gone," Raven said as he then tried to reach his friend through the Force and was pushed out, "And he's blocking me."  
"Find him I'll be there as soon as possible," Ashlyn said as the call ended.

* * *

Daly was running through the streets of Nar Shaddaa as he was trying to lose Raven who he sensed was closing in on his location. He didn't need anyone's help; he knew exactly where Jaira and their father were on the planet. Then he sensed Raven's confusion as Daly destroyed his trail completely with the skills his father had taught him all those years ago but it wasn't easy. However, Daly knew he had to do this alone otherwise the others would get hurt badly and he would never be able to forgive himself. Daly stumbled as he felt Raven try and break through the barrier he had built to keep his friend from accessing their bond. The Padawan got back to his feet and continued on his course to get to where he needed to go to finish what he should have done before he left Nar Shaddaa. Meanwhile, on a shuttle in hyperspace en route to Tatooine, Ashlyn ran into the cockpit quickly which grabbed the attention of Anakin Skywalker immediately.

* * *

"Master, we have to go to Nar Shaddaa please?" Ashlyn almost begged her Master.  
"Ash, we can't," Anakin responded.  
"Daly is going to get himself killed if we don't go," Ashlyn revealed, "He ran off and is tracking the Sith on his own."  
"Ash, they have their orders and we have ours," Anakin argued.  
"And since when did Anakin Skywalker, the Hero with No Fear, care about orders?" Ashlyn demanded, trying to remind him who he was.  
"Ash, I am a Council Member now," Anakin tried to explain, "I can't go and do whatever the Force I want anymore."  
"Oh, so you're like Mace Windu now, all protocol and no compassion?" Ashlyn insulted him, "Because that's not who my Master is," she added as she left the cockpit and went to hop into one of the Jedi Starfighters. As she was about to start it up and leave the cargo bay in the fighter her Master walked in.  
Anakin sighed in defeat, "Come on."  
"Thank you, Master," Ashlyn said, grateful for her Master understanding her predicament.  
They entered the cockpit again, Anakin sent a message to the fleet to inform them of what has happened before he brought the shuttle out of hyperspace and then entered it again with the coordinates for Nar Shaddaa set into the navigation computer.

* * *

A/N: What Daly has done might seem odd and stupid but he has done so to protect his friends from any danger.

Ashlyn Dubreas.


	18. Chapter 17-Father and Son

**Father and Son**

Meanwhile, in the Redlight Sector of Nar Shaddaa, Daly sat there on top of a building facing the place that had been his home for the first few years of his life. He scoffed at how much of a home it was and how he had been terrified when he left to keep Jaira safe from himself as well as their father. Daly sensed two people inside; one was Jaira while the other was their father, and so he sat and waited for the opportune moment. The young Padawan knew he wouldn't be able to take both of them on at once so he waited for Jaira to leave the building before executing his plan. He didn't have to wait long as he watched his twin sister come out through the door and get into a speeder before flying away. Daly waited an extra ten minutes to make sure she wouldn't come back anytime soon and then when he was sure the coast was clear he began his advance on the building. He walked up to the doors and snuck through them while trying to make as little noise as possible. Daly entered the main living area to find his father sitting on the floor meditating with his back turned to him.  
"Finally you have returned to me my son," Darth Solak greeted.  
Daly ignited his lightsaber and pointed it at his father's back which the older man responded to by standing up and turning to face the young teen.  
"How dare you raise the weapon of the Jedi against me," Darth Solak scowled, "You are a disgrace to this family and I am very disappointed in you, my son."  
"I never wanted to be a part of this, of your plans," Daly said with hatred soaking into every syllable that came from his throat in a guttural growl.  
Darth Solak chuckled evilly, "You're too much like your mother, she too tried to save you and your sister from your heritage," he revealed.  
"Your plans have failed father, the Jedi know where you are as well as your allies. They are on their way here right now," Daly revealed.  
"Don't be so foolish I know that you have come here alone and deliberately too," Darth Solak said, "Yes I sensed you coming my son, did you really think you could hide your presence from me?" he asked in response to the shocked look on Daly's face.  
"It's too bad that when your friends do arrive, you will be dead," the Dark Lord of Sith said in finality, "I will not allow a son of mine nor a Solak to be a Jedi."  
The red-bladed hilt shot into the older man's hand in time to block the blow from Daly who was pushed back. Daly jumped back up straight away and just in time to block a blow to his left leg which was followed by a quick block to his right leg which the Padawan pushed himself away from. Daly held his position there for a little while with his lightsaber shielding his back ready to strike again as he tried to circle his father.

* * *

Back at the makeshift headquarters, Ashlyn ran down the loading ramp to where Raven was standing waiting for her to arrive and she began to panic when she didn't see Daly with him.  
"Where is he?" she asked frantically.  
"Ash, calm down okay," Raven said and he continued when she had caught her breathe, "He disappeared before I could find him, we don't know where he is."  
"Dammit," Ashlyn groaned, "We have to find him."  
Ashlyn started to head in the direction where she could only just sense Daly's presence but she was afraid that they were already too late to help him.  
"We will find him, Ash, everything is going to be alright," Raven tried to reassure her.  
"I certainly hope so."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Solak family home which the Jedi Padawan considered to be more hell than home, Daly smashed his lightsaber hilt into his father's face which didn't seem to faze the older man at all. Darth Solak responded by letting loose Force Lightning which Daly managed to block with the blue blade of his lightsaber. He somehow was able to reflect the lightning back at his opponent which caused the older man to topple backwards over the shabby couch. Daly then force leapt to his father and severed one of his arms before the young teen slipped into the shadows of the room. Using them to conceal himself until the opportunity arose for Daly to strike again except he now had the advantage of surprise.  
"Come out and face me, boy!" Darth Solak called after he had regained control over the excruciating pain of his arm being cut clean off.  
Daly remained as silent and still as he possibly could as his father began to walk around the room searching for him. Then Daly sprang out of the shadows while Darth Solak's back was turned and struck him from behind, cutting off the other arm as he went. His father fell to the floor as his other arm now rolled away; with the red-bladed hilt still clutched in its fist, under the low table.  
Darth Solak followed the blue blade that was now resting under his chin up at his son and laughed at him.  
"You are a disgrace Daly and you will never become a Jedi, you know why?" Darth Solak taunted him, "Because once they find out who you are they will put you away."  
Daly shook his head, "No they won't," he said determinedly.  
"Then try it and you will see what I see will happen to you," Darth Solak challenged him.  
"I have proven to them that I can and will be a Jedi Knight regardless of my heritage," Daly announced.  
"Not after you have killed me, a defenceless and unarmed civilian," Darth Solak pointed out the crucial fact to his son.  
"That is my mission," Daly said trying to convince himself more than his father.  
"But it is not the Jedi way son," Darth Solak said, "That is why you will never be a Jedi," he added softly.  
"Liar!" Daly yelled as he made the final blow and slit his father's throat.  
The last gurgled words out of the Dark Lord's mouth were words of disappointment in Daly and how he should have remained on Nar Shaddaa to complete his training as a Sith.

* * *

A/N: A bit of a short one again but it was important for me to get to the point. Especially when revealing Daly's heritage and family history.

Ashlyn Dubreas.


	19. Chapter 18-Brother and Sister

**Brother and Sister**

Daly knelt there next to his father's lifeless body for a few moments in complete shock as to what he had done. He had gone against the teachings and code of the Jedi Order and had handled the fight the way his father had taught him as a child to handle all fights. The feeling of unworthiness and shame spread through Daly's chest as he wondered how he would be able to face his Master and friends now.  
"I know you're there," Daly said as he rose from the floor.  
Someone landed on the floor behind him and he felt footsteps vibrate through the floor towards him and then the hum of a lightsaber as it was activated. The room filling with the red glow of a Sith lightsaber.  
"I'm impressed actually and very grateful to you brother," Jaira said from behind him and then he turned to face her.  
"What are you talking about?" Daly asked in shock at her words.  
"Well now I am the Dark Lord of the Sith which means I can put into action my own plans," Jaira said, "I just needed father dead first."  
"You played me," Daly snarled, "You only pretended to leave."  
"Of course," Jaira confirmed, "Now my first order of business is to teach you a lesson that you'll never forget brother," she spat the last word out as if it were poison.  
Daly glared dangerously at her and activated his lightsaber and got into his ready stance, "I'm waiting."  
Jaira leapt to him and came down from above as she used the Force to call their father's lightsaber to her spare hand and then her two blades made contact with Daly's one blade. Luckily enough Daly had a lot of practice against dual wielders from sparring with Ashlyn and so he was able to hold up on his own but he knew he wouldn't last very long.  
 _Help!_ Daly called out through the Force hoping that someone would hear it and come to his aid quickly.

* * *

Ashlyn and Raven looked in the direction of the cry out for help and then took off sensing that it was Daly and they needed to find him quickly.  
"I hope we are not too late," Ashlyn said as the worry grew in her more and more with every few seconds that went by.  
"I can sense he is in danger but nothing too drastic yet," Raven revealed, "But why would he take off on his own, this is supposed to be a team effort," he added in confusion.  
"Didn't Daly come from Nar Shaddaa?" Ashlyn asked.  
"Yeah, wait you don't think he knew where the Sith were all along, do you?" Raven suggested incredulously.  
"Maybe he thought it was best and safest to do it himself," Ashlyn added to the list of theories that were piling up in both of their heads.  
"When we find him, I'm going to kill him," Raven growled in frustration, "Him and his stupid heroic acts."  
Ashlyn laughed slightly at the comment but then turned her full focus to the task at hand which was more important.

* * *

Jaira was winning the fight as every second went past which was the result of Daly not being quite up to her level of fighting standards. He tried to sneak away into the shadows but she stopped him before he could get fully settled into that plan by sending Force Lightning into the shadows of the room. Daly fell to the floor as the lightning consumed his body and then it caused him to black out for a few seconds. When he awoke, hoping that Jaira had left to his dismay, he discovered that she had not and was now standing over him.  
"When did you become so weak brother?" she taunted.  
Jaira lifted her hand into the air and pulled her hand into a tight fist causing Daly to be lifted up into the air and grabbing frantically at his throat. She was slowly choking all the oxygen out of his body as his throat constricted until he passed out again. Jaira released and threw him at the wall which shook the whole room as Daly's body slid down and landed in a crumpled heap on the floor.  
Jaira knelt down next to him and said her final words of promise to him which sent chills down his spine as he heard the words ring through to his mind.  
"I promise you this brother. Everything you care about will be mine and you will go through what you made me endure while you were off having fun in that Temple on Coruscant while I was here being beaten and abused by our father," Jaira said, "Everything you care about will be mine," she repeated in finality before leaving him on the floor for dead.

* * *

A/N: Tell me what you think.

Ashlyn Dubreas.


	20. Chapter 19-Secrets Revealed

**Secrets Revealed**

About an hour later, a shuttle landed on the landing pad outside the building as Ashlyn and Raven ran in through the entrance and found a horrific sight. Daly was lying on the floor against the far wall with a decapitated body of an older man right in the middle of the room.  
Ashlyn gasped and ran over to Daly, checking him over and was relieved to find he was still alive. She rolled him over onto his back and saw the constriction marks around his neck.  
Anakin and Raven approached her and then all three of them proceeded to help each other carry Daly out of the building and into the waiting shuttle. While a few Clones stayed behind to search the building for any vital clues to the happenings of the two Sith.  
Ashlyn did not move from Daly's side as she held his hand tightly in her own, whispering words of comfort to him. It wasn't long before the shuttle was in the hangar of one of the ships of their fleet and Ashlyn walked alongside the stretcher that was carrying Daly's unconscious body. The other Padawans were there waiting and upon seeing Daly they all became shocked and followed Ashlyn to the medical bay.

* * *

Three weeks later in the Jedi Temple Medical Bay on Coruscant, Daly groaned as he opened his eyes slowly and squinted up at the roof and into the bright light above; which only made him slam his eyes shut again.  
"Daly?" he heard a voice say from next to him.  
He turned to face the direction the voice was coming from and opened his eyes again to find Ashlyn sitting next to him.  
"Ash?" he groaned through his dry and sore throat.  
"Yeah silly it's me," Ashlyn responded.  
"What happened to me? Why is my throat so sore?" Daly asked through his nostalgia as he rubbed his throat and felt the bandages around his neck.  
"Well, we were kind of hoping you could tell us, the medic said you must have been choked and thrown around a lot," Ashlyn answered, "Now you have scarring around your neck, the medics tried to get rid of them but they're permanent."  
Daly shrugged and then fell silent.

* * *

A week had passed since Daly had woken up in the Medical Bay and he had finally been released by the Jedi Healers. Ashlyn and Daly walked through the halls of the Jedi Temple as they headed in the direction of the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Once inside Ashlyn turned to him and asked the question she had been holding back since their return to the Temple.  
"Why did you do it, Daly?" Ashlyn inquired, "How did you know exactly where to go?"  
Daly sighed as he sat down on a rock, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he whispered.  
"Try me," Ashlyn encouraged as she sat opposite him.  
Daly looked up into her eyes and felt reassured that she would not jump to assumptions if he told her the truth about his family heritage.  
"The Sith Lord's name was Darth Solak, my father," Daly revealed, "The Apprentice is my twin sister, Jaira."  
Ashlyn was in complete shock as Daly continued to explain.  
"I'm from a long line of Sith going all the way back to the days of the Old Sith Empire," Daly explained, "But my mother was a Fallen Jedi that my father had somehow coerced into carrying my sister and me."  
"What happened to her?" Ashlyn asked.  
"Father killed her after she had served her purpose," Daly answered, "She wanted to bring us to the Temple to be trained as Jedi but my father wouldn't hear of it," he added.  
"Daly maybe you should tell Obi-wan about this," Ashlyn suggested.  
Daly panicked, "No if I tell him I'll be thrown out of the Temple and the Council will refuse me of Jedi Training," he said frantically.  
"No, they won't. I'll make sure of it and Obi-wan, he can help you," Ashlyn said comfortingly.  
Ashlyn stood up and stood in front of Daly, rested her forehead on his and said, "If they kick you out I will follow you to the ends of the Galaxy."  
Daly smiled softly and whispered three words, "I love you."  
"I love you too," Ashlyn whispered back, "Now we just have to tell the others."  
"What? No," Daly refused determinedly.  
"Daly they need to know the truth," Ashlyn said and then she grabbed his hands and pulled him up from the rock, "Come on, I'll help you."  
Ashlyn then led Daly through the Temple in search of their friends; every now and then Daly would panic and would try to escape telling his friends the truth. Ashlyn would reassure him and tell him that he had nothing to worry about; reminding him that his friends would understand. When they did find them Daly took a few deep breaths and explained to the others about his heritage. Everyone sat there in shock as they listened to him and then after Daly finished he thought they were going to murder him but was surprised by the response he got. They all stood up and thanked him for having the courage to tell them the truth and that they really appreciated him trusting them enough to reveal these things about himself to them.

* * *

Later that day, Daly was waiting outside the Jedi Council Chambers waiting for his fate to be decided as he paced back and forth. He had just revealed his family heritage to the Council and they had dismissed him so they could discuss the information the Padawan had given them. Then the doors opened to admit him into the round room and he entered to find each Master with a different expression on their faces. Some of them were humbled, others were angry while the others had blank expressions.  
"Padawan Solak," Master Yoda greeted with a straight face.  
"Masters," Daly greeted as he bowed slightly in respect.  
"The Council has made their decision young one," Master Windu paused for an excruciatingly long time, "We have decided to allow you to continue your training in the Jedi Order."  
Daly let go a breath that he hadn't realised he had been holding.  
"But however, if you show any signs of the Dark Side you will be tried again. We cannot risk someone in a position like yourself to show any signs of the Dark Side," Master Windu warned.  
"Position?" Daly inquired.  
"A prophecy there is, about you and Padawan Dubreas," Master Yoda revealed, "Talk about that later we will."  
Daly frowned slightly and then thanked the Council before bowing and leaving the room.

* * *

A/N: Bit of a short chapter but again was necessary to be straight to the point with this one.

Ashlyn Dubreas.


	21. Chapter 20-The New Sith Empire

**The New Sith Empire**

Meanwhile in the Outer Rim Territories, a shuttle landed on the surface of Dathomir and the occupants looked out of the cockpit window at another ship in front of them which belonged to none other than Assaj Ventress. As the two cousins walked down the loading ramp of their ship ex-Sith Apprentice of Count Dooku exited her ship with someone walking along beside her.  
"Greetings Ventress, who is your companion?" Jaira asked ruefully.  
"Let me introduce Barriss Offee," Ventress said gesturing to the Mirialan next to her.  
Barriss bowed deeply, "It is an honour to meet you my Lord and I hope you will be able to utilise my services," she said.  
"Of course," Jaira said as she began to walk towards the Night Sister's village and then turned to Ventress, "Are you sure Mother Talzin will be able to help us?"  
"Any friend of mine is a friend of the Night Sisters and she knows a lot of things that can help speed up the process of your plan my Lord," Ventress assured her.  
Upon reaching the village Ventress led the three outsiders to Mother Talzin and introduced them each to the Clan Mother.  
"Lord Jaira would like to form a treaty with our people Mother," Ventress offered.  
"What may I ask do you want?" Mother Talzin inquired.  
"I need an army of Sith to enslave the Jedi Order and bring forth a new Sith Empire of which you will hold much power in," Jaira said.  
"Come with me," Mother Talzin said after a long pause and then the group followed her to her tent to discuss the finer details.  
"I can assure you Lord Jaira that if you bring me the people I will be able to do as you request and help you make this infinite Sith Army," Mother Talzin confirmed, "But if you go back on your word I will destroy you myself. Understand this, we have had problems in the past with Sith and it has gone terribly wrong many times," she warned.  
"I can assure you Mother, this treaty will not fail you. You will get everything that I have promised to you and more," Jaira said confidently.

* * *

After three days in Hyperspace, Jaira strode off her ship with Ventress, Riesha and Barriss close behind her as they walked into the streets of Zygerria; the homeworld of the Zygerrian Slave Empire. Upon reaching the Palace, the Queen came out to greet them and was very pleased to see the Sith Lord that agreed with her dreams of one day enslaving the Jedi.  
"Welcome my Lord," Miraj Scintel greeted as she invited them inside for refreshments.  
"My Father is now dead your highness," Jaira revealed the good news.  
"Excellent now your plan can unfold perfectly," the Queen responded excitedly.  
"It will be a year or two sadly before you get your first import of Jedi as I need to grow my army first," Jaira informed, "But I promise you will have the first pick out of the stock."  
"There is only one I am interested in, Master Anakin Skywalker," the Queen revealed.  
"There will be no guarantees but we will be sure to put him at the top of our list your Highness but I wouldn't keep your hopes up," Jaira promised.

* * *

Three days later the young Sith Lord returned to her birthplace alone, Jaira roamed the ruins of the once all mighty city of the Sith capital. She entered an old tomb that had laid mostly untouched since her birth and knelt down to meditate deeply. The Force Ghost appeared in front of her which was of her Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather; Lord Kallig looked upon her with approving eyes.  
"I see that your Father succeeded in training you, even though he was persistent to kill you right after your birth," Lord Kallig said.  
"Yes, my brother ran away when we were young and is now a Jedi," Jaira revealed.  
"I warned your Father not to put false hope where it did not belong. Daly's destiny never lay with the Dark Side," the Force Ghost responded, "I warned him that a Fallen Jedi would not be a suitable carrier of his children."  
"I want to rebuild the great Sith Empire of long ago but I will need your help to do so," Jaira said respectfully.  
"Of course my child," Lord Kallig said as he sent images into her mind to show her what Dromuund Kaas and Korriban looked like in his time.  
"Change its name back to Korriban as a Sith a few millennia back renamed it and shamed the Sith Lords of old," the Force Ghost said, "It was a disgrace."  
"Of course my Lord," Jaira said bowing low, "I must go now but I will be back soon and when I do I will rebuild this city to its former glory," she added before leaving the tomb.

 **The End**

* * *

A/N: That is the end of Adventures of the Templars Book 3: The Dark Is Rising. Please keep posted for the next instalment of the series, Adventures of the Templars Book 4: The Lost Children. Please review and tell me your thoughts on the series so far.

Ashlyn Dubreas.


End file.
